Obama has significant lead in Oakland County

Obama leads Oakland poll Edge in prominent county, plus expected support of Detroit voters, may give Dem enough to carry Mich.
Gordon Trowbridge / Detroit News Washington Bureau

Barack Obama holds a significant lead over John McCain in bellwether Oakland County, according to a new Mitchell Poll that shows a potentially decisive advantage for the Democrat in a key county.

Obama leads Republican McCain 48 percent to 42 percent in Oakland, according to the poll of 400 likely Oakland County voters conducted from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 and Oct. 6 by Mitchell Research & Communications. That edge, if it holds up, would make it very difficult for McCain to win the state. In 2004, John Kerry carried Oakland -- the state's second largest county -- by fewer than 3,000 votes, and won the state. And Al Gore won Michigan in 2000 despite carrying Oakland County by less than 2 percentage points.

"An Obama lead by this margin in Oakland County is significant," said pollster Steve Mitchell. "It shows how strong Obama has become since the Wall Street crisis and the indecision by John McCain about going to the first debate." Click here for the rest of the story.