Presidential Polls 2012: Obama Still Trails Romney Nationally, But Stays Ahead In Ohio
Pundits praised President Barack Obama's performance in the second presidential debate, calling it a return to form after his missteps in the first debate, but the triumph has yet to translate into a concrete advantage in nationwide polls.
With the third and final presidential debate set for Monday evening, Obama still lags behind Romney in a survey of registered voters from national polling firm Rasmussen.
The latest daily update from Rasmussen's tracking poll, released Sunday, shows Romney ahead, with support from 49 percent of voters surveyed, while Obama is still two points behind with 47 percent. Of the remaining respondents, 1 percent of voters surveyed preferred a different candidate and 2 percent are undecided.
"These numbers are unchanged from the morning of the second presidential debate. They suggest that the president's stronger performance in that debate stopped his slide in the polls but did not regain lost ground," the Rasmussen update explained. "The first debate had a bigger impact, changing the race from a two-point Obama advantage to a two-point Romney edge. Still, the race remains too close to call with just over two weeks to go."
Obama may be behind in some national polls, but he does still have an advantage in some important swing states, even if that lead is fading slowly.
Ohio is one example. There, the incumbent president holds a five-point lead, enjoying support from 50 percent of Ohio voters compared to Romney's 45 percent, according to polling data from Quinnipiac University/CBS News.
But Obama's lead in the Buckeye State has shrunk by nearly half since Sept. 26 - before the first presidential debate - when Obama led Romney, 53 percent to 43 percent.
Obama's campaign advisor David Axelrod said on Sunday's edition of "Meet The Press" that states like Ohio will be key for the president's victory.
"We feel we're even or ahead in these battleground states," he said. "If you look at the early voting that's going on around the country, it's very robust and it's very favorable to us. And we think that's a better indicator than these public polls, which are frankly all over the map."
