Poll: Obama leading in 2 key counties

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama gained support in two key counties that could spell wins in Nevada and North Carolina, a Politico poll indicates.

Voters Nevada's Washoe County around Reno indicated they favor Obama over Republican presidential candidate John McCain by a double-digit margin, 50 percent to 40 percent, results of the Politico-InsiderAdvantage survey released Tuesday indicates.

In Wake County, N.C., which includes Raleigh, Obama holds a 53 percent-to-43 percent lead over McCain.

As the second-most populous counties in their respective states, Wake and Washoe are critical to McCain's campaigns in North Carolina and Nevada, the Washington publication said. President George Bush won both counties in 2000 and 2004.

Despite Obama's appeal in the two counties, both Nevada and North Carolina are considered competitive at the statewide level, the Politico/InsiderAdvantage poll indicates. McCain and Obama are tied at 47 percent in Nevada, while Obama holds a statistically insignificant 49 percent-to-48 percent advantage over McCain in North Carolina.

The Washoe County poll had 476 respondents and the Wake County poll surveyed 414. Both surveys were conducted Sunday and both have a margin of error of 5 percentage points.