Pennsylvania: Presidential Election

Barack Obama is maintaining his comfortable double-digit lead over John McCain, 52 percent to 42 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll released Monday morning.

That's a 2-point reduction for the Democratic presidential nominee from the same poll taken last week, mirroring a trend that shows the Democratic presidential nominee's lead in the Keystone State dwindling but still above the margin for error.

The poll surveyed 1,493 voters from Oct. 27 to Nov. 2 and has a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points. 

Pennsylvania pollsters say the state is no more or less racist than others, The Morning Call reports.

Race has emerged once again as an issue in the Keystone State after U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Johnstown) said last week that western Pennsylvania is a "racist area." After apologizing, Murtha called some of his constituents "rednecks."

HARRISBURG -- The state Republican Party filed an injunction Friday against Secretary of the Commonwealth Pedro Cortes and ACORN, alleging a fair vote on Nov. 4 is impossible because of rampant voter fraud.

The injunction signals a step up in action against ACORN, which for weeks has been the recipient of attacks from the state GOP and John McCain's presidential campaign.

The Scranton Times-Tribune has a full recap of GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's Tuesday visit to Scranton, where the Alaskan governor espoused all of her party's familiar themes and criticisms of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

John McCain plans to eliminate the federal deficit while jump-starting the economy, the paper reported Palin said..