Mitt Romney has closed the gap between him and President Obama in two crucial swing states, according to a recent poll released Thursday.
The latest Qunnipiac University poll shows Romney in a statistical tie with Obama in Ohio, trailing only by two points – 42 percent to Obama’s 44 percent. In Florida, the GOP nominee-to-be falls neck-and-neck with the President, raking in 43 percent support from likely voters compared to Obama’s 44 percent.
The close margins in two of the largest battleground states is good news for Romney given that just one month ago, he trailed Obama in Ohio and Florida by four and eight percentage points, respectively.
“Romney’s ability to cut into the president’s leads in Ohio and Florida reflects two changes in the political environment: First, since he is now the de facto nominee, Romney is no longer being attacked by his fellow Republicans, who are closing ranks behind him. Second, voter optimism about the economy has leveled off, reflecting economic statistics over the past month and the public reaction to them,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
In Pennsylvania, however, Romney’s numbers dipped slightly as Obama increased his lead from six percentage points in March to eight percentage points this month.
“Overall, Obama is doing slightly better than Romney in these critical swing states today,” Brown said.
