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Poll: Obama Clinging to Lead

Pessimistic voters not enthused about either candidate

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 27, 2012 2:02 AM CDT | Updated Jun 27, 2012 3:32 AM CDT

(Newser) – President Obama is still on course to narrowly win a second term despite recent setbacks, according to the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC poll. Obama is ahead of Mitt Romney 47% to 44%, according to the poll. The survey also finds the president further ahead in a dozen swing states which, as a whole, favor him 50% to 42%. More voters view Romney unfavorably rather than favorably by a 6-point margin—but they're not brimming with enthusiasm for Obama, either: His approval rating is at 47%, its lowest of the year.

"It's definitely a lesser of two evils," says a 54-year-old homemaker in Colorado who plans to vote for Obama. "I don't think he's overly competent at his job, and he's naive about the state of international affairs. His handling of the economy hasn't been very good, either." Worryingly for the Obama campaign, interest in the election has dropped sharply from 2008 levels among both young voters and Latinos. Some 62% of those under 34 showed high interest levels in the election in mid 2008, but just 46% do now.

President Obama speaks at Atlanta's Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel during an Obama Victory Fund reception yesterday.
President Obama speaks at Atlanta's Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel during an Obama Victory Fund reception yesterday.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
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It looks like a dead heat on a merry-go-round. There is the appearance of motion, but the horses' positions haven't changed. - Pollster Peter Hart

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5%
Hilarious
7%
Intriguing
7%
Depressing
57%
Brilliant
8%
Scary
17%
Annoying
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 25 comments
serious
Jun 27, 2012 3:48 PM CDT
I was voting for Obama until his immigration change.  I simply don't want to vote for a president who doesn't obey our country's law. I really don't like Romney, but oh well, no other choices.
schmidtkoff
Jun 27, 2012 3:05 PM CDT
well if it't neck and neck on election night...don't worry. the supreme court will decide for us. and we know how that goes.
Winston_Smith
Jun 27, 2012 8:00 AM CDT
Hmm, the article quotes verbatim the voter's criticism of Obama, without giving any of the reasons why she apparently dislikes Romney any more. Gee, you don't think this might indicate a tiny bit of anti-Obama bias on the part of the WSJ, would you?
 

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