Key red states turning blue, poll shows

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. electoral map is becoming bluer as more battleground states appear to be breaking for Democrat Barack Obama, a CNN poll indicates.

The latest CNN-Time magazine-Opinion Research poll indicates Obama has nearly doubled his lead in Colorado over Republican John McCain. In results released Wednesday, 53 percent of likely voters favored Obama while 45 percent backed McCain -- boosting the gap from 4 percentage points two weeks ago to 8 percentage points now.

A CNN poll of polls in Indiana suggests McCain holds a 2-percentage-point lead over Obama in a state that hasn't voted for a Democrat in a presidential election since 1964.

The CNN-Time-Opinion Research Corp. poll indicates Obama has a 53 percent to 44 percent advantage over McCain in Virginia, another state that hasn't voted a Democrat into the White House since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

Both candidates hope the sun shines on them in Florida, where Obama holds a 4-percentage-point edge over McCain, 51 percent to 47 percent.

In Georgia, McCain maintains his lead over Obama, but it has shrunk, the poll indicated. The 52-percent-to-47-percent McCain edge is down from an 8-percentage-point lead two weeks ago.

Missouri is basically a dead heat, CNN reported. McCain holds a 2-percentage-point lead, 50 percent to 48 percent.

The CNN-Time-Opinion Research Corp. poll was conducted by telephone Thursday to Tuesday, with 774 likely voters in Colorado, 747 likely voters in Florida, 690 likely voters in Georgia, 825 likely voter in Missouri and 721 likely voters in Virginia. The margin of error is 3.5 percentage points.