President Barack Obama now claims leads in Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania that suggest the three states are no longer battlegrounds, according to a slate of new polls out Wednesday.
The latest swing state polls from Quinnipiac University, CBS News and the New York Times show Obama holding leads of 10 points in Ohio, 9 points in Florida and 12 points in Pennsylvania. Fifty-percent of likely voters in Ohio and Florida approve of the job Obama is doing as president, compared with 47 percent who disapprove in each. The president’s approval rating is at 51 percent in Pennsylvania, while 45 percent disapprove of his job performance.
In all three states, 51 percent of voters prefer Obama over Romney to preside over the national economy — a policy area over which the president has seized the upper-hand in the last month. About 60 percent of voters in Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania say Obama understands and cares about their problems, while similarly large majorities say Romney does not.
Obama’s consistent advantage among women voters has spanned virtually the entire campaign, but the gender gap has swollen considerably in the three states. The president holds commanding leads among women voters in Ohio (25 points), Florida (19 points) and Pennsylvania (21 points). Romney holds single-digit leads among men in all three states.
The PollTracker Average currently shows Obama leading in Ohio (6 points), Florida (4.4 points) and Pennsylvania (7.8 points).
The polls were conducted Sept. 18-24 using live phone interviews with 1,162 likely voters in Ohio, 1,196 likely voters in Florida and 1,180 likely voters in Pennsylvania. Each sample has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
Tom Kludt
Tom Kludt is a newswriter for TPM. A former research intern and polling fellow for TPM, he lives and works in New York City. Tom graduated summa cum laude from the University of South Dakota in May of 2010 with a B.A. in Political Science and History. He can be reached at Tom (at) talkingpointsmemo.com.
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