Obama Competitive in Virginia and North Carolina

Barack Obama is polling well in two states President Bush won handily in 2004.

A new Public Policy Polling survey has Obama ahead of McCain in Virginia, 47 percent to 45 percent. Obama could build an even bigger lead if he chooses former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) as his running mate; 18 percent of respondents said doing so would make them more likely to vote for Obama, and just 9 percent said it would make them less likely.

The poll shows Warner blowing out former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore (R) in the state’s Senate race, 59 percent to 28 percent.

In North Carolina, Obama trails McCain, 41 percent to 45 percent, in a Civitas poll. Obama was behind by 5 percentage points in Civitas’s last survey.