Obama leads in three swing states: poll

President Barack Obama leads over his likely Republican rival in the November presidential poll in three critical swing states even as voters are divided on who would be better for their personal economic future, according to a new poll.

A Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll released Thursday gives Obama a razor thin four points lead in Florida (45-41 percent), a healthy nine points (47-38 percent) in Ohio and six points (45-39 percent) in Pennsylvania.

This compares to the results of the independent university’s May 3 poll showing Obama with an eight-point lead in Pennsylvania with Florida and Ohio too close to call, it said.

No one has won the White House since 1960 without taking at least two of the three swing states, Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, noted.

“If he can keep those leads in all three of these key swing states through election day he would be virtually assured of re-election,” he said.

“Of course the election is more than four months away, which is a lifetime in politics,” Brown added.

Obama also enjoys strong support among women, younger voters and African-Americans, the poll found. Voters in all three states also voice strong support for his order that will prevent the deportation of some younger illegal immigrants.

“For much of the last year, more voters in these swing states have said Romney would do a better job on the economy. That advantage has largely disappeared, at least for now,” Brown said.

Voters in all three states are mixed on which candidate “would do a better job on the economy” and which candidate “would be better for your personal economic future”, the poll said.

Meanwhile, a new Fox News poll released Wednesday said a majority of American voters believe neither candidate has a plan to improve things.

The poll shows that by a 14 percentage-point margin, more voters think Barack Obama (41 percent) has a clear plan to improve the economy than think Mitt Romney does (27 percent).

Still, a 53 percent majority says Obama doesn’t have a plan, and a 55 percent majority says Romney doesn’t.

(IANS)