Polls indicate McCain struggling for win

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Polls in states considered key for John McCain indicate the Republican U.S. presidential nominee will struggle to win the White House, aides acknowledge.

But victory over Democratic candidate Barack Obama remains possible, McCain aides said, through a combination of smart campaigning and voter fears of what both legislative and executive branches of government in Democratic hands would mean, The Washington Post reported Friday.

McCain, R-Ariz., plans to focus on taxes, spending, national security and what one adviser called "the perils of an Obama presidency with no checks and balances."

"We will focus like a laser on those messages in the closing days," the adviser told the Post.

The election landscape for McCain is stark, as Big Ten Battleground Poll surveys released Thursday indicated Obama not only leads in eight Midwestern states but gained ground since the previous survey.

Quinnipiac University also released polls Thursday from Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida indicating Obama leads in all three states.

The Washington Post-ABC News tracking poll showed Obama's advantage at around 10 percentage points. Gallup has had it between 5 and 8 points. The Pew Research Center put Obama's lead at 14 points. The NBC-Wall Street Journal poll indicated a 10-point lead for Obama.