Obama breaks 50% mark in key US states
2012-08-01 16:29
Washington - US President Barack Obama has for the first time hit the 50% mark in three crucial swing states, with women strongly favouring him over Republican foe Mitt Romney, a poll released on Wednesday said.
With fewer than 100 days until the 6 November election, the Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times survey gave Obama a majority of the vote in Florida (51%) and Pennsylvania (53%), and 50% in Ohio.
No candidate has won the White House since 1960 without winning at least two of those three states.
Romney trails badly in Pennsylvania, with the poll leaving him 11% behind the Democratic incumbent, and he is six points behind Obama in both Florida and Ohio.
Female voters
"If today were 6 November, President Barack Obama would sweep the key swing states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania and - if history is any guide - into a second term," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University polling institute.
"The president's strength among women is the dominant dynamic fuelling his lead," he added.
In Pennsylvania, Obama has a resounding 24% (59% to 35%) lead over Romney among likely women voters.
In Ohio, his advantage is 21% (58% to 37%), while in Florida the gap is seven points (51% to 44%.)
In Florida, which Obama won in 2008 - only the third Democrat to do so in the past 40 years, after Bill Clinton in 1996 and Jimmy Carter in 1976 - the economy dominates voter sentiment, ahead of healthcare and the budget deficit.
The economy is seen as the strongest card in Romney's pack - he had a successful career as a venture capitalist - but likely voters in Pennsylvania and Ohio said President Obama would do a better job in this regard.
A crumb of comfort for Romney was the 47% of Florida voters polled who said he would do a better job on the economy than Obama, who garnered just 45%.
