Republican nominee Mitt Romney has roared back in polls and all-but-erased a 6-point lead by President Barack Obama — this despite a rough GOP primary and in the face of the launch of a recent negative ad blitz by the Obama campaign, according to
Politico.
Obama’s diminishing advantage, now a mere 1.6 percent in the latest Real Clear Politics average of national polls, is most pronounced — and worrisome for his campaign — in the battleground states. In Florida, Obama watched his 3-to-8 point lead disappear as that race is now tied, with one poll even showing him ahead by 6. The president’s lead in Ohio has been cut in half — he was up by 12 points in the spring — and his numbers have fallen sharply in Wisconsin, from a 17-point lead in early spring to about 3 now, Politico reported. His Virginia and Colorado numbers are dropping too.
Top Democrats told Politico that Obama’s recent attacks on Romney, especially his decision to target Bain, are tarnishing his image as the “hope and change” leader they knew three years ago, prompting “Face the Nation” host Bob Schieffer to say, in an exchange on his show with former Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs, “Whatever happened to hope and change? Now, it seems he’s coming right out of the box with these old-fashioned negative ads.”
Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul told Politico the negative campaigning is an attempt to run away from economic issues. “Unable to run on his abysmal economic record, President Obama is resorting to a campaign of personal destruction in an attempt to distract voters from it,” she said. “Gov. Romney is focused on his plan to create jobs and turn the economy around, which is what is most important to voters.”
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