Obama Widens Lead in State, Poll Shows

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Democrat Barack Obama has opened up a 12-point lead over Republican John McCain in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, a statewide poll to be released today shows.

As the presidential campaign enters its final days, Obama leads 51 percent to 39 percent in a state that McCain said he must win, according to a Franklin & Marshall College Poll conducted between Oct. 21 and Sunday for the Tribune-Review, WTAE-TV and other news outlets.

Obama's margin widened from a 7-point advantage the Democrat held in a late September survey by the same pollsters.

"The presidential race in this state didn't start to stabilize until about three weeks ago," poll director G. …