Poll: Obama leads in Minn., Iowa

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Democrat Barack Obama is widening his lead over Republican rival John McCain in two presidential battleground states: Iowa and Minnesota, a poll indicates.

Meanwhile, the Illinois senator is running neck-and-neck with his Arizona colleague in Ohio, also a battleground state, CNN reported Wednesday.

A CNN/Time/Opinion Research Corp. poll indicates 55 percent of Iowa registered voters said they backed Obama, while 40 percent said they back McCain.

"Obama is winning in all regions of the state -- even in the western counties where George W. Bush beat John Kerry by 17 points," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Obama is winning rural voters in Iowa -- not something you see in many other states."

In Minnesota, the site of this week's Republican National Convention, the poll found Obama leads McCain 53 percent to 41 percent.

"It's important to note that today's polls don't reflect any boost McCain might get from the GOP convention," Holland said.

The poll was taken Aug. 31-Sept. 2, with 828 registered voters in Iowa, 742 registered voters in Minnesota and 685 registered voters in Ohio questioned by telephone. The margin of error is 3.5 percentage points.