Presidential Polls Florida: Romney, Obama In Dead Heat, Latest Data Shows
A handful of very important swing states have become the center of the country's attention as the 2012 presidential election winds down for its final days, and these key states could end up deciding the outcome of the entire election.
According to The Huffington Post's Electoral College map projection, which is based on an analysis of various nationwide and state by state polling data, the six states still in the toss up pile as of Friday are Colorado, Florida, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia.
Those states represent a total of 88 electoral votes — a hefty sum considering each candidate needs a total of 270 electoral votes to successfully win the election. That sum would be incredibly valuable to either candidate, based on The Huffington Post's current projection, which has President Barack Obama at 259 electoral votes and Mitt Romney at 206 votes.
By far, the most valuable swing state still up for grabs is Florida, which offers a whopping 29 electoral votes to the candidate who can carry the state on Nov. 6.
According to The Huffington Post's data analysis, the race in Florida is completely deadlocked at this point. Obama and Romney are tied, with each candidate polling at 48 percent in the Sunshine State.
Florida has been a hotly contested state in the last few presidential elections. It became the centerpiece of the 2000 race when recounts in Florida caused the contest between George W. Bush and Al Gore to drag on much longer than anticipated.
Obama was victorious in Florida in 2008, when he defeated Sen. John McCain, 51 percent to 48 percent, in that state.
But Florida voted Republican in the two elections before that, with the state going to George W. Bush in both the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections.
Data from national polling firm Rasmussen has found information about how Floridian voters feel about each candidate on the hot-button issue of the economy.
"Forty-eight percent of voters in the state expect the U.S. economy to get better if Romney is elected president and Republicans win control of Congress," the Rasmussen report said. "That compares to 39 percent who feel that way if Obama is reelected and Democrats regain control of Congress. Forty-four percent expect the economy to get worse if Obama wins, compared to 38 percent who believe that's true if Romney's the winner."
