Some GREAT news from Florida:

Here in a swing state in severe economic pain — a leader in foreclosures where empty offices now litter strip malls — there are signs that Senator Obama, the Democratic candidate, is gaining ground. In interviews and surveys, voters across Florida said the debate in Washington over how to fix the credit crisis has fueled frustration with the Bush administration and pushed them away from the Republican ticket.

The four most recent polls from late September put Mr. Obama ahead of Mr. McCain by 3 to 8 percentage points, a sharp swing from the previous six weeks, when Mr. McCain led by as much as 10 points.

Also in Senator Obama’s favor, Florida as of August had 498,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans, up from an advantage of 373,000 four years ago.

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October 4, 2008

Stateside

In Florida’s Economic Pain, Obama Gains Ground

By DAMIEN CAVE

www.nytimes.com/2008/10/04/us/politics/04florida.html

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Jim Piccillo lost his job as a bank vice president in August, applied for food stamps to support his two young daughters and swore off a life of loyalty to the Republican Party. He now volunteers here in Pasco County for Senator Barack Obama of Illinois.

Madeline Aquanno’s change of heart came more recently. Two weeks ago, she said, she had planned to vote for Senator John McCain of Arizona, the Republican candidate for president, who impressed her with his knowledge of the world. But as the economy began to scare her more than terrorism, she reconsidered.

“Obama is more for the people,” she said, near the pool at Wynmoor, her middle-class retirement community just outside Fort Lauderdale. “I’m worried about the jobs that are being lost, for my son, my daughter, my granddaughter. You have to look down the line.”