Obama Takes Ten-Point Lead in Iowa, Rasmussen Reports

Barack Obama has taken a ten-point lead over John McCain in Iowa, according to Rasmussen’s July poll for the state, indicating his largest advantage in a single major poll there since February.

The poll comes on the same day as news that Obama is out-organizing McCain in the state, with 15 campaign offices running, while McCain’s camp is still working to open six.

The last major poll for the state, conducted by SurveyUSA in June, showed Obama leading McCain by four percentage points. Rasmussen reported Obama leading by seven percentage points that same month.

Obama has consistently led McCain in Iowa throughout the campaign, though his lead has varied drastically by different reports. Several firms reported his head-to-head lead in the double digits between December and February, and Obama last held a double-digit lead in a major Iowa poll in February, when the Des Moines Register reported him up 17 percentage points. Since then, different polls have reported Obama’s lead between two and nine percentage points.