President Barack Obama leads GOP challenger Mitt Romney 50 to 46 percent in the crucial swing state of Florida but trails by one in North Carolina, a new
CNN/Time Magazine/ORC poll shows.
The leads in both polls are within the margin of error.
"President Obama has a huge lead in the Democratic strongholds near Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Palm Beach. Mitt Romney has almost as big a lead in the northern part of the state,” CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said according to CNN. “The two men are currently battling to a draw in the I-4 corridor where most Florida elections are won or lost."
Obama won Florida by three points four years ago and narrowly won South Carolina, the first Democrat to win there since 1976. Romney currently leads in South Carolina 48 to 47 percent.
"In North Carolina, it's an east-west split, rather than the north-south division we see in Florida," Holland told CNN. "Obama's strength east of I-95 and in the Research Triangle area roughly matches the advantage Romney has in the central and western parts of the state."
CNN found that so far the debate over Medicare reform and the selection of Rep. Paul Ryan as the GOP running mate has not been a factor in Florida. The poll found that Obama currently has the support of 45 percent of those over 65 in Florida, the same level of support he received in the 2008 election. His share of that demographic in North Carolina is approximately the same as four years ago.
The poll surveyed 1,020 Florida adults and 1,019 from North Carolina.
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