Obama now lead McCain by 12 points

Even not being on the trail and Obama still gaining ground on McCain. If I were McCain, I would be thinking what can I do better. Latest polls show Obama now lead McCain by 12 points.

Obama must be smiling to learn of this with only 12 more days before the presidential election. McCain on the other hand, has to be nervous with the latest poll numbers out. Time is winding down and both candidates will be traveling to key states in the upcoming days.

Obama has made steady gains over the last four days and has tripled his lead on McCain in the past week of polling.

The Illinois senator saw his lead among women -- who are expected to play a decisive role in this election -- increase to 18 points from 16 points on Wednesday.

And independent voters, who have been the target of intense campaign efforts by both sides, have now swung behind Obama by a 30-point margin, 59 percent to 29 percent.

McCain, 72, appeared to have lost the traction he won after the third and final presidential debate last week.

"Obama's expansion is really across the board," pollster John Zogby said. "It seems to be among almost every demographic group."

"McCain can still try to turn it around, but he has to find focus," Zogby said, adding that economic issues, which dominated the campaign amid turmoil in the credit, housing and financial markets, still seem to be working in Obama's favor.

"At some point there are some issues that just overwhelm, and McCain has been particularly weak on the economy," Zogby said in a statement.

While Obama wins the backing of 86 percent of Democrats, only 81 percent of Republicans back the Arizona senator -- down from figures in the low 90s immediately after the Republican national convention in early September.

Obama holds a 6-point lead among men, 48 percent to 42 percent, while white voters -- who had been among McCain's core support groups -- now only back McCain by a 2-point margin.

Independent Ralph Nader and Libertarian Bob Barr held relatively steady at 2 percent and 1 percent respectively. Three percent of voters said they remained undecided, unchanged from Wednesday.

The U.S. president is determined by who wins the Electoral College, which has 538 members apportioned by population in each state and the District of Columbia. Electoral votes are allotted on a winner-take-all basis in all but two states, which divide them by congressional district.