The post-Labor Day, post-conventions polls show President Barack Obama leading Mitt Romney in the three key swing states of Florida, Ohio and Virginia, which ratchets up pressure on Romney to turn things around in the debates in October.
Obama is ahead of Romney by five points among likely voters, 49 percent to 44 percent, in both Florida and Virginia, and in Ohio, he has a seven-point lead, 50 percent to 43 percent, according to new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls.
“You’d rather be in Obama’s shoes than Romney’s in these three critical states,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, NBC News reported, adding that the leads are not “insurmountable.”
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Things could change when the candidates face off at the first presidential debate on Oct. 3 in Denver.
Obama won the three states in 2008 and George W. Bush won them in 2004, according to NBC. Romney likely needs to capture at least two of the three battleground states to win the White House but Obama can reach 270 electoral votes by winning just one or two of these battlegrounds as long as he wins the other states considered to be in the Democrat column.
Miringoff noted that most voters in these battleground states have already made up their minds.
“Those who are thinking of voting have pretty much picked sides,” he said, NBC reported.
Obama has a double-digit lead over Romney as to who would better handle foreign policy.
The polls also look at U.S. Senate contests in the three states.
In Florida, incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson leads Republican challenger Connie Mack, 51 percent to 37 percent, according to NBC.
In Ohio, incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown is ahead of GOP challenger Josh Mandel, 49 percent to 42 percent. And in Virginia, Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican George Allen are tied at 46 percent each.
President Obama and the first lady will travel to Florida next week. The first lady plans to speak to grass-roots supporters in Gainesville and Tallahassee, according to the Naples Daily News. On Thursday, President Obama will travel to Miami and Tampa for campaign events.
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