McCain, Obama Prepare For Face Off At Town Hall Debate

Nashville, TN (AHN) - Presidential candidates Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Barack Obama (D-IL) are in Nashville, Tennessee to hold the second of their three nationally televised debates. The town hall-style debate, moderated by NBC's Tom Brokaw and hosted at Belmont University, is the second time Americans will get to watch the two men face off before a third and final meeting October 15.

Pundits say McCain must find a way to turn the tables against his Democratic rival, as Obama has begun to show increasingly strong leads in polls taken across the country.

The latest poll, Gallup's daily tracking survey, found Obama leading McCain 51-42 percent - his highest lead to date since McCain trailed in July, when Obama met with leaders in Europe and the Middle East, also by nine points.

"Obama has now held a statistically significant lead since Sept. 24-26 polling and has not trailed McCain since Sept. 13-15, roughly coinciding with the intensification of the financial crisis," Gallup reported.

AHN's Kris Alingod contributed to this report.