Mississippi: A Swing State?

A new poll from Rasmussen indicates that Barack Obama has a chance to win Mississippi this fall.

The poll has John McCain ahead 50% to 44%. Considering that Obama has still yet to receive a “unity bump” from Clinton finally dropping out of the Democratic race and that the Obama campaign is making a big effort to register people to vote, that 6% deficit looks well within striking range.

This possibility is impressive because in 2004 George W. Bush won Mississippi in a 60% to 40% landslide over John Kerry. Mississippi may be a great example of the “new map” that Obama is bringing to the table this fall.

The latest poll in another “deep red state” also shows signs of expanded map promise for Obama. In Kansas the latest Rasmussen poll has McCain ahead 49% to 39%. While such a 10% gap isn’t quite close enough for it to be called a “swing state,” it may be inching that way. It appears that it may be close enough that selecting popular Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius. as his VP would put the state solidly into “swing state” status.

Bush won Kansas by 25% in 2004.

While Mississippi & Kansas still appear to be long shots for Obama, if he can get the GOP playing defense in states they usually consider “gimmes” this would put him at a great advantage overall.

Iowa (which Bush won narrowly in 2004 and lost narrowly in 2000.)

The latest SurveyUSA Iowa poll indicates that this state that went for Bush in 2000 & 2004 may go blue in 2008. The poll indicates Obama has a 47% to 38% lead over McCain in Iowa.