President Barack Obama is holding leads over GOP challenger Mitt Romney in the key swing states of Ohio and North Carolina. Obama leads Romney 50 to 45 percent in Ohio and 49 to 48 percent in North Carolina, a new survey by Public Policy Polling found.
The 5 point lead in Ohio is the largest for Obama since May and up from a 3 point lead last month. Obama is helped in Ohio by cutting into Romney’s support among voting blocs such as men, whites and seniors. The president narrowly trails Romney among men, 48-46, and whites, 50-46, while leading with seniors 49-47 percent.
“It’s hard to see a path to victory for Mitt Romney without Ohio,” Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling, said in a statement. “But Barack Obama’s led in our polling there all year and now his advantage is getting larger.”
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Despite Obama’s single-point lead, North Carolina remains in the same virtual tie it has been in since November of 2010. During that period, PPP has polled an Obama/Romney match up in the state 25 times and the two have been within 3 points in 24 of those surveys.
PPP noted that that each candidate has about 46 percent of the vote locked up and are currently battling over a small portion of the electorate.
Obama, who improved his standing among independents in the poll, continues to lead among women, African Americans, and voters under 65. Romney is ahead among men, whites, and seniors.
“North Carolina’s been a swing state from the start and it looks like it will be a swing state to the end,” Debnam said. “Neither candidate can break away here.”
PPP surveyed 1,072 likely voters in Ohio and 1,087 likely voters in North Carolina from September 7th to 9th. The margin of error for both surveys is plus or minus 3 percent.
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