Having all but sewn up the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney is on President Barack Obamas heels according to a national poll of registered voters released Thursday by Quinnipiac University.
The poll has Obama leading with 46 percent followed by Romney with 42 percent. Other recent national polls have shown mixed results with Obama leading some and Romney leading others.
The poll finds both candidates are upside down. While 45 percent of those surveyed see Obama favorably, 49 percent view him as unfavorable. Obama does slightly better in terms of job performance with 47 percent approving his tenure in the White House while 48 percent disapprove. While 46 percent say Obama deserves four more years in office, 49 percent think he does not deserve to be re-elected. A third of those surveyed -- 33 percent -- view Romney in a favorable light, but 38 percent see him unfavorably.
Despite this, both candidates can count on the support of their party, with 88 percent of Democrats backing Obama and 83 percent of Republicans behind Romney. Romney leads Obama among independent voters, taking 46 percent, while the president lags behind with 39 percent.
"The presidential race remains tight, said Peter Brown, the assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, on Thursday. With Governor Mitt Romney now the de facto Republican nominee, a look at how the two men are perceived by the electorate reflects much of the historic differences between the two parties in close elections, which this seems likely to be."
While the poll finds that Obama is seen as more likeable by those surveyed, it also finds that Romney is viewed as better suited to manage the economy. A strong majority -- 81 percent -- view Obama as likable while 63 percent say the same for Romney. But the Republican scores points on the economy with 47 percent saying he can manage it better than Obama while 43 percent think the president can do a better job. While 42 percent think that Obama can do better with creating jobs, 45 percent think Romney would. Asked about who would do a better job on gas prices, Romney is the choice of 44 percent while only 31 percent think Obama can handle the problem better. While Romney is seen as better on immigration -- 43 percent to 39 percent -- Obama is seen as much better on womens issues -- 52 percent to 32 percent -- and slightly better, 46 percent to 40 percent, on international issues.
Brown said the poll shows that Obama is dominating among women voters but, with the economy struggling to recover, Romney is certainly in the race.
"President Barack Obama has a big lead among women and is seen as the candidate most in tune with their needs, Brown said. He is seen as more in touch with average Americans. Republican Romney seems to hold an edge on the economy -- the top issue of the campaign -- and holds his own against the incumbent on being a strong leader. His opening is that by 56-to-38 percent, voters disapprove of the president's handling of the economy."
Brown also pointed to major differences between the sexes and on racial lines in the poll.
"The gender gap remains, with Obama leading among women, 49-to-39 percent, and trailing slightly among men, 46-to-43 percent," said Brown. "The racial gap is even wider: Romney leads 52-to-36 percent among whites, while the president is ahead among blacks, 94-to-3 percent, and among Hispanics, 64-to-24 percent."
The poll of 2,577 registered voters was taken from April 11-17 and had a margin of error of +/- 1.9 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
