Despite two days of negative coverage over his secretly videotaped remarks during a fundraiser in Florida, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has now taken the lead in the key swing state of New Hampshire, according to a new Rasmussen poll.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in New Hampshire shows Romney with 48 percent support to President Obama’s 45 percent. Four percent prefer some other candidate, and three percent are undecided.
In June, Obama held a five-point lead over Romney in the Granite State, 48 percent to 43 percent, the polling firm pointed out in their remarks released Wednesday.
New Hampshire now shifts from “leans Obama’ to “toss-up” in the Rasmussen Reports Electoral College Projections.
Obama carried New Hampshire over Republican John McCain 54 percent to 45 percent in the 2008 election. Forty-nine percent (49 percent) of the state’s voters now approve of the job he is doing as president, while 51 percent disapprove. This includes 30 percent who strongly approve and 43 percent who strongly disapprove. This marks little change from June.
Romney, who served as governor of neighboring Massachusetts and was the winner of the state’s Republican Primary in January, is viewed favorably by 50 percent of all voters in the state. That’s up five points from June. But he’s also viewed unfavorably by 50 percent. This includes 32 percent with a very favorable opinion of him and 37 percent with a Very Unfavorable one.
This New Hampshire survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted on September 18, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.
The candidates are separated by three points or less when voters in the state are asked who they trust more on several major policy issues. The president is trusted more when it comes to health care and energy policy. Romney has the edge on the economy, taxes and national security.
This is comparable to the closeness of findings nationally, but while Romney has a seven-point lead in voter trust on the economy among voters nationwide, he has only a three-point advantage on that issue in New Hampshire.
Forty-five percent of New Hampshire voters now rate their personal finances as good or excellent, while 11 percent describe them as poor. Twenty-five percent say their finances are getting better, but 41 percent think they’re getting worse.
Romney has a 16-point lead among male voters in the state, while the president leads by nine among female voters. Most voters under 40 favor Obama, but the majority of their elders prefer his Republican challenger.
Both candidates draw strong support from voters in their respective parties. Romney edges Obama 45 percent to 43 percent among voters not affiliated with either of the major parties.
With the addition of New Hampshire, eight states are now toss-ups in the Rasmussen Reports Electoral College Projections: Romney also has the slight advantage in Colorado, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin; Obama has the edge in Florida, Virginia and Ohio.
Romney is ahead in New Hampshire, North Carolina, Indiana, Montana and North Dakota. The president leads in Connecticut, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico and Pennsylvania.
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