Obama edges out Romney in hypothetical matchup in new poll

UPDATED 2:17 p.m. ET

The bruising primary campaign appears to have taken a toll on Mitt Romney's prospects for throwing President Obama out of office.

Mr. Obama is ahead of Romney in a hypothetical contest between the two men, according to a poll conducted for The Washington Post and ABC News.

The president leads the Republican front-runner 51 percent to 45 percent among registered voters, the first time he has led in a Washington Post/ABC News poll. That is the first time either candidate has a majority, however slight, in the hypothetical general election matchup.

While Romney lost ground to Mr. Obama, his path to the Republican nomination is clearing. In the past week, he has bested rival Newt Gingrich in both Florida and Nevada, leaving him with 94 of 1144 delegates needed for the nomination. Gingrich, his next closest competitor, has just 30 delegates, according to CBS News estimates.

Mr. Obama's job approval rating rose in the poll to its highest level in Washington Post/ABC polls since just after Osama bin Laden was killed. About 50 percent approve of the job he is doing as president.

The poll also found that the more voters get to know Romney, the more they dislike him. But that is even more true for his rival, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

By about 2 to 1, respondents said they disapprove of Romney as they get to know him but Gingrich has 3 to 1 disapproving.

The Romney campaign said Monday said the former Massachusetts governor's numbers were unfairly depressed because the poll used flawed questioning.

The results of the Obama-Romney matchup are "clearly tainted by the questions asked immediately prior to the ballot, resulting in what some would call a "pushed" ballot. A pollster can't ask or suggest specific negatives on a candidate immediately prior to a ballot test and expect to get anything other than a biased result," said Neil Newhouse, a well-known Republican pollster working for the Romney campaign.