Swing state voters split on whether Romney, Obama better for the economy

AP Photo

(CBS News) The struggling economy is without question the best issue for Mitt Romney on the presidential campaign trail, but a new poll shows that voters in three key swing states are split over whether he or President Obama would be a better economic steward.

Additionally, the new Quinnipiac poll shows that voters in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida approve of Mr. Obama's new immigration policy and believe the president would be better than Romney at handling the issue of immigration. Voters in Florida -- where the Latino vote could play a key role -- approve of Mr. Obama's new policy by the widest margin.

The president holds leads over Romney in all three states -- he leads by four points in Florida, nine points in Ohio and six points in Pennsylvania -- but this far from Election Day, those numbers could easily change.

Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, noted in the poll's release that for much of the last year, more swing state voters thought Romney would do a better job handling the economy, but that advantage has disappeared for now.

In Ohio -- a must-win state for Romney -- voters say 47 percent to 42 percent that Mr. Obama would be better than Romney at handling the economy. Similarly, they say Mr. Obama would be better for their personal economic future, 47 percent to 42 percent.

In Florida, voters say Romney would do a better job than Mr. Obama at handling the economy, 46 percent to 44 percent -- within the poll's 2.8 percent margin of error. Forty-six percent say Mr. Obama would be better for their personal economic future while 45 percent say Romney would.

Pennsylvania voters are split at 44 percent to 44 percent over which candidate would do a better job handling the economy. Forty-four percent say Mr. Obama would be better for their personal economic future, compared to 43 percent who say Romney.

CBS News political director John Dickerson notes that Mr. Obama is doing especially well in Ohio -- where the president has hit Romney the hardest on his record as the head of the private equity firm Bain Capital. The line of attack appears to have had an effect particularly among independents in Ohio. In May, Romney was leading 43 percent to 38 percent among independents in a Quinnipiac poll, but now Mr. Obama leads 45 percent to 36 percent.

Continued weak jobs reports would presumably have a bigger impact on Mr. Obama's standing, though there's evidence that voters don't hold the president entirely accountable for the sluggish economy.

The issue of immigration, meanwhile, is far less pressing to voters, but it could have a notable impact among key constituencies like Florida Hispanics.

Florida Hispanics support Mr. Obama 56 percent to 32 percent, the latest survey shows. By comparison, they backed him 49 percent to 39 percent in a Quinnipiac poll released June 21 - which was after Mr. Obama announced he will stop deporting certain undocumented youth, but before both candidates made major speeches to a Hispanic organization at an Orlando conference.

Voters in Florida support Mr. Obama's immigration initiative 58 percent to 33 percent. Ohio voters back it 52 percent to 38 percent, and Pennsylvania voters support it 51 percent to 41 percent.

[wayneonly]

Given the economic crisis President Obama was handed when he took office, I think he has done a fair job with economic stimulus. Had he had a Congress that was willing to work with him instead of against him, the recovery would have been far better. Even when he had a Democratic House and Senate, they were not willing to work together to get things moving. That opened the door for the Republicans and Tea Party Republicans to form a Congress that has stated that their main goal is to make him a "one term President". Yet he has done remarkably well. It is not President Obama who has let the American middle class down, it is Congress. With that in mind it is inconceivable that any informed voter would reward the Republicans by voting for their candidate who has NO viable plan on job creation, and would reward corporations who are doing nothing to build the economy with further tax breaks. Wake up America, it isn't tax breaks and subsidies that business needs to expand, it is CUSTOMERS. Romney can't produce customers if he keeps giving money to corporations and lowering the purchasing power of the middle class. That's called "trickle down" economics and it hasn't worked in the past and will not work now.

[RollotheNorman]

I fully concur. I like the old 19th Century term for trickle down economics. It was called "oat and sparrow." The idea being that the horse pulling the wagon ate the oats and the sparrows could scavenge their mean by pulling the undigested oat kernels from what came out of the back of the horse.

[RollotheNorman]

meal

[maddiekat]

We hate outsourcing in Ohio. keep it up Obama it is starting to stick and Romney knows it. That is why they sent a group to the Washington Post to try and get them to retract their story. The Washington Post refused.

[sjc_1]

Ohio puzzles me, it is a blue collar manufacturing state that votes Republican. I don't know if it is something in the water or the air, but I wish they would snap out of it.

[RollotheNorman]

Yeah, really stupid move by Campaign Romnobot. Never, never send a bunch of goofs to a national paper to demand a retraction without rock solid factual evidence supporting your side of the case.

[TimeToEvolve]

If Robmee lies that the economy is bad long enough, people might believe him. I mean he is like a Brush Limpballs in a suit. With his dittoheads and all.

[TimeToEvolve]

Maybe the ignorant sheeple of the swing states actually think that minimum wage jobs at Staples and Wal Mart with no health benefits are good for them. That is what Robmee and his party of the Top 1% is all about.

[TimeToEvolve]

When people find out that Mitler is a Republicon that has no intention of creating good jobs (and does not have the ability to do it anyway even if he wanted), the jig is up.

Furthermore, the lies by Robmee about how bad the economy is doing so badly is so blatantly false that even nitwits know.

[technocoffee]

RobMe falling behind in Ohio, PA, FL-he MUST have all 3 of these to win since Obama has all the states except dumb hillbilly Texas with the big electoral count ....OBAMA 2012-IN YOUR FACE!!!!!

[RollotheNorman]

Interesting thing about Texas, Obama won the major Metropolitan areas in the state in '08. But we have a big countryside and it is full of those hillbillies you speak of.

[sjc_1]

How is Mutt going to be better for the economy? Corporate looting and off shoring jobs will make everything better? I don't see it and if people give it some thought they would not either.

[RollotheNorman]

Mitt, if he does what he has promised, embrace the Ryan Budget, will absolutely trash the economy for decades. It will be like triple witching, the combined economic wisdom of Dubya, Herbert Hoover, and Paul Ryan. God help us.