President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are neck and neck in the battleground states. However, in a head-to-head with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the president leads by 14 points,
a new USA TODAY/Gallup Swing States poll found.
In a head-to-head matchup, Romney leads Obama 48 to 47 percent in the dozen states likely to determine the November presidential election. Obama leads Gingrich 54 to 40 percent, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, 50 to 43 percent, and former Sen. Rick Santorum, 51 to 44 percent.
"Gingrich's efforts to win the Republican nomination have set back his efforts to win the general election," political scientist Larry Jacobs of the University of Minnesota told USA Today. By trying to appeal to Tea Party conservatives he has moved “out of the mainstream of American politics."
The Swing States survey focuses on Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. The poll queried 737 registered voters Tuesday through Saturday and has a margin of error plus or minus five points.
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