A Reverend Wright induced political backlash is underway in at least two key swing states, Ohio and Missouri, and has driven Obama’s numbers down even more dramatically in Kentucky, according to Survey USA polling released yesterday. Last month, for example, Senator Obama led Senator McCain in Ohio by 10 points. But in the most recent survey conducted over the weekend–before the Illinois Senator’s big speech on race–McCain has surged to a 7-point lead in the Buckeye state. The same pattern emerges in Missouri. Two and a half weeks ago, McCain led Obama by only 6 points. But the most recent polling shows McCain’s lead widening to 14 points. The most dramatic shift has occurred in a state that should stay in the Republican column no matter what: Kentucky. Polling earlier in the month showed the Arizona Senator leading by 11 points. The most recent Survey USA results, however, give him a 36-point lead over Senator Obama. All three presidential campaigns have put Ohio and Missouri at the center of their swing state strategy. Voter sentiment in these two key Midwestern battlegrounds deserves close watching. Kentucky is important as well. President Bush won the state in 2000 and 2004, but President Clinton edged out Bob Dole in 1996, proving the right candidate can make that red state competitive. So an Obama/McCain contest could potentially result in some good news for the GOP down ticket, as the party looks to make a comeback after losing a key congressional race in Louisville in 2006 (GOP Rep. Anne Northup) and then the gubernatorial contest in 2007. Time to recant the Pastor of Disaster?
