Watch Tuesday's episode of CNN=Politics Daily, The Best Political Podcast from The Best Political Team.

(CNN) – Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama are set to square off in their second debate Tuesday night — but this time there’s a twist: both will take questions directly from voters, as surveys show the electorate overwhelmingly focused on the economy, and the crisis in the nation’s financial system.

In the latest episode of CNN=Politics Daily, Suzanne Malveaux previews Tuesday’s debate.

Even after the passage of the $700 billion Wall Street bailout plan, stock markets around the world continue to be roiled by frozen credit markets in the U.S. and abroad. Allan Chernoff takes a look at what McCain and Obama plan to do to calm the country’s troubled economy.

Finally, American Morning’s John Roberts fills you in on new CNN/Time Magazine/Opinion Research Corporation poll results in five battleground states and changes to CNN’s Electoral Map.

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Obama makes major gains on the new CNN Electoral Map.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Polls in five key battleground states in the race for the White House released Tuesday suggest that Sen. Barack Obama is making major gains.

The CNN/Time Magazine/Opinion Research Corporation polls of likely voters in Indiana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin reflect a significant nationwide shift toward the Democratic presidential nominee.

Check out the latest CNN Electoral Map

In Indiana, 51 percent of likely voters say Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, is their choice for president, with 46 percent backing Obama. Indiana went for George W. Bush by 21 points four years ago; the Democrats have not carried the state since 1964.

Obama has made significant strides in New Hampshire, a state which is credited with reviving McCain’s GOP primary campaign in both 2000 and 2008. Fifty-three percent of the state’s likely voters are backing Obama, while 45 percent are supporting McCain. Obama’s eight-point lead is larger than the five-point lead held by Obama in the last CNN New Hampshire poll taken in the beginning of September.

Bush squeezed out a slender one-point win in the state in 2000 — but four years ago, John Kerry narrowly carried the one-time GOP stronghold.

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Michigan changes columns in CNN’s latest update of the Electoral College Map.

(CNN) — Barack Obama – who gained a small edge in the CNN poll of polls this week – is gaining ground on the CNN Electoral Map as well.

CNN is altering its Electoral Map, shifting Michigan and its 17 electoral votes from tossup to “lean Obama.”

With the shift of Michigan, CNN now estimates that if the presidential election were held today, Obama would win 240 electoral votes and John McCain 200. There are 98 electoral votes up for grabs; 270 electoral votes are needed to win the White House.

Check out CNN's latest electoral map

A CNN/Time Magazine/Opinion Research Corporation poll released earlier this week suggested Obama had a 5 point lead among likely voters, 51 percent to 46 percent, and a 7 point lead among the larger sample of registered voters. Obama had a 4 point margin in the last CNN poll in Michigan, conducted at the beginning of September.

Michigan has voted for the Democratic candidate in the last four presidential contests, but Kerry's victory over President Bush in 2004 was by only 3 points.

Still, the economy – an issue where Obama holds a significant edge over McCain in recent surveys — is the driving concern in this industrial state. The Democrat’s campaign has sought to pad that advantage, running state-specific ads in Michigan that charge McCain has not done enough to protect the nation’s auto industry jobs.

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Could CNN's electoral map shift Wednesday? Check back at 4 pm for the answer.

(CNN) – Will the Democrats get Rocky Mountain high in Colorado?

The answer could determine who wins the race for the White House.

It's no coincidence Democrats decided to hold last month's presidential nominating convention in Denver. Colorado hasn't voted for the Democrats in a presidential election since 1992. But President Bush won the state by only 5 points over Senator John Kerry in 2004, the Democrats made major gains at the state level in the past two elections — and in this presidential election, the Obama campaign hopes to turn the state from red to blue.

Related: CNN's John King on Colorado's Latino voters — a key swing vote this fall

A state poll out earlier this week by Quinnipiac University put Barack Obama up four points over Republican rival John McCain. Today at 4 pm ET, we'll get a better sense of where the race in Colorado stands, as CNN, Time Magazine and the Opinion Research Corporation release brand new numbers on the race for the White House in the state — and CNN updates its Electoral Map.

Check out CNN's current electoral map

The poll will also include new state surveys on the battle for the presidency in Montana, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

CNN's latest electoral map.

(CNN) — Call it the tale of two contests. While Barack Obama is making a modest rise and John McCain slightly dropping in the national polls, it's just the opposite in some states.

An update of the CNN Electoral Map Friday suggests a tightening in the race for electoral votes in the crucial battleground states. CNN is moving Missouri, and its 11 electoral votes, from "toss up" to "lean McCain," and is moving Wisconsin, which has 10 electoral votes at stake, from "lean Obama" to "toss up."

"One reason for the switch in Missouri is the latest polls in that state. The CNN/Time/Opinion Research Corporation poll indicated a five-point advantage for John McCain in the Show-Me State, and a recent ARG poll indicated the same margin," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "In Wisconsin, our poll and a Big Ten Battleground poll both showed a statistical dead heat — one of the key factors prompting a switch in that state."

Check out CNN's latest electoral map

"Historically, state polls have often been leading indicators of national trends," noted CNN Senior Political Researcher Alan Silverleib. "Voters in tightly contested states like Missouri and Wisconsin are being inundated with the campaigns' latest television ads right now. National polls are predominatly made up of respondents from big states like New York, California and Texas where the campaigns are running no advertising at all."

CNN now estimates that if the presidential election were held today, Barack Obama would capture 223 electoral votes, to McCain's 200, leaving 115 electoral votes would still be up for grabs. The 23 electoral-vote-lead for Obama is down from a 44-point estimated lead he held in CNN's previous electoral map. Both men are well short of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House.

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