A pair of polls released today show Barack Obama gaining steam in two neighboring border states -- both of which will be crucial targets in November's presidential contest.

In Iowa, a new Rasmussen poll gives the Illinois senator a solid 45-38 percent lead over John McCain, outside of the poll's 4 percent margin of error. And to the north, a UW-WisPolitics.com survey puts Obama 13 points ahead in Wisconsin. Both results represent a sizeable jump from more recent polling, likely the result of Obama cinching up the nomination in the past week.

A moderate bounce has also been evident on the national stage, according to CNN's "poll of polls":

The Illinois senator now holds a 5 point lead over McCain among registered voters, 48 percent to 43 percent. In a CNN poll of polls conducted earlier this week, Obama's lead stood at 4 points, and in an average of national polls shortly before Hillary Clinton dropped out of the presidential race, Obama only held a 3 point lead over the Arizona senator.

The poll of polls consists of three recent surveys by Gallup, NBC/Wall Street Journal, and CNN/Opinion Research Corporation.