THE Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, has surged to the lead in national polls and is now planning a campaign that will be a first for presidential politics: he will run operations in every state, even those considered safe Republican territory.

A Newsweek poll released on Friday shows Senator Obama with a substantial double-digit lead, 51 per cent to 36 per cent, over his Republican rival, John McCain. A USA Today-Gallup poll echoed those results, showing Senator Obama with a lead of 50 per cent to 44 per cent.

The Obama campaign team announced over the weekend that it would open offices in every state and would run a massive voter registration drive in an effort to ensure groups that traditionally have low participation - such as African Americans and young people - vote in November.

There are already signs that Senator Obama may win states the Democrats have only dreamed of reclaiming.

Polls show him leading narrowly in Virginia and competitive in Georgia, thanks in part to the presence of a Libertarian candidate, Bob Barr, who is siphoning votes from Senator McCain.