Obama leads Romney in Virginia poll

President Obama has resurfaced in the swing state of Virginia, taking the lead over Republican front-runner Mitt Romney in a poll released Wednesday.

Mr. Obama bests Romney 47 percent to 43 percent, a five percentage point gain from December, when the president trailed with 42 percent and the former Massachusetts governor garnered 44 percent, according to Quinnipiac University.

The Virginia Republican primary is March 6 and widely expected to go to Romney, as rivals Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are not on the ballot.

But the Old Dominion is seen as a key swing state in the general election in November.

"The Obama bump could be driven by the perception that the economy is improving. And, the nasty GOP primary fight is not helping Romney, exposing swing voters to lots of negative attacks on him from within his own party," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Brown said Obama lead is fueled by "the president's improved standing among independent voters and women."

Despite his lead over Romney, Mr. Obama's approval rating is still below the 50 percent water mark.

Just 46 percent approve of the way he is handling his job, compared to 49 percent who disapprove. And 48 percent say he does not deserve a second term, while 46 percent say he does. Those figures are better for the president than they were in December, when 53 percent said he did not deserve to be president through 2016.

Mr. Obama beat Arizona Sen. John McCain in 2008 in Virginia, making him the first Democrat to win there in more than four decades.