Latest poll results Monday suggested that U.S. Republican presidential nominee John McCain faces an uphill battle just week ahead of the Nov. 4 presidential elections.
His Democratic opponent Barack Obama is hanging onto leads in several battleground states as well as a handful of traditionally "red states" won by President George W. Bush in 2004, CNN's average of several recent state polls shows.
According to a string of new polls of polls from CNN, Obama holds narrow leads in Ohio, Missouri, Florida, Nevada, and Virginia.
McCain meanwhile is hanging onto his lead in Indiana and West Virginia.
In Ohio, the state no Republican has won the White House without, Obama is holding a 4 point lead, 50 percent to 46 percent.
In Missouri, the state that voted for Bush twice, Obama holds a1 point lead over McCain.
Obama is holding onto a 2-point lead in Florida meanwhile, 48 percent to 46 percent.
In Nevada, Obama has a 4-point lead, 49 to 45 percent -- a lead that hasn't changed over the last week.
In Virginia, a state that hasn't voted Democratic in over 4 decades, but one that has been increasingly trending Democratic, Obama holds a 5 point lead, 50 to 45 percent.
McCain meanwhile has a 1-point lead in Indiana, 47 to 45 percent, another state that hasn't voted Democratic since the 1960's but one that the Obama campaign has heavily targeted.
McCain also has an 8 point lead in West Virginia, 50 to 42 percent.
Based on the polls, analysts said McCain faces an uphill climb in the final week of his presidential campaign.
"The Republicans haven't lost Virginia in 44 years. They absolutely need Florida to reach 270 electoral votes on Election Night. They've never won the White House without carrying Ohio. And the last time Missouri backed a losing candidate was in 1956,"noted CNN Senior Political Researcher Alan Silverleib.
"McCain is now trailing -- albeit narrowly -- in all four of these states. He needs a dramatic turnaround this week to have a serious shot at winning on November 4," he added.
(Xinhua News Agency October 28, 2008)
