New Ohio newspaper group poll: Obama 49, Romney 49.http://ow.ly/ePdR5
9:03 AM - 28 Oct 12 · Details
Romney closes Obama’s lead to split Ohio
With 9 days left, who will win the Buckeye bellwether is a tossup
OHIO NEWSPAPER POLL
A collaboration by Ohio’s eight largest newspapers
Obama Biden: 49%
Romney Ryan:49%
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Boosted by a surge among male voters who think he’s the best candidate to fix the economy, Republican Mitt Romney has come back to tie President Barack Obama in battleground Ohio.
They are deadlocked at 49 percent in a new Dispatch/Ohio News Organization poll. Obama was ahead by 5 points in the same poll published on Sept. 16.
How does that tie get broken in the next nine days?
“In the final days before the election, both campaigns will focus on turning out their bases, appealing to independents and attracting the few undecided voters that remain,” said Eric Rademacher, co-director of the University of Cincinnati’s Institute for Policy Research, which conducted the poll for Ohio’s eight largest newspapers.
“Absent any more twists and turns, a remarkable presidential campaign may end with the campaign that executes the best ‘ground game,’ narrowly delivering Ohio for the next president of the United States.”
The Buckeye State, the nation’s top presidential bellwether since 1900, is always important in a presidential election. But this year might be giving Ohio voters an attention-surplus disorder, with more than 70 visits by presidential candidates or their running mates, unprecedented ad spending, and reporters from around the world fanning across the state. Last week, a New York Times statistical analysis called Ohio more important than the other 49 states combined.
In the new poll, Obama wins support for his foreign policy and for pushing the auto loan package for GM and Chrysler. He also benefits somewhat from damage to Romney from his secretly recorded remarks about the “47 percent” of Americans he said are dependent on the government.
But the former Massachusetts governor scores with his performance in the debates. And on the crucial question of who would do the best job handling the economy, Romney prevails by 6 percentage points among all voters — and 18 percent among independents.
“If this poll reflects final voting patterns among Democrats and Republicans, Ohio’s independent voters may hold the keys to both Ohio and the presidency,” Rademacher said. “The poll suggests independent preferences may move around depending on whether they are asked about the economy as a whole, the president’s handling of the auto industry or the ‘47 percent’ issue.
“Even so, Romney’s current advantage among independents in perceptions of which candidate would do a better job handling the economy gives him a leg up on the issue as the candidates make their final appeals to independent voters.”
Male voters have swung sharply toward Romney in the past month. In September, he was winning by 2 points among men on who could best improve economic conditions in Ohio. Now, he’s up by 19 on a slightly different question: Who can better handle the economy? Overall, his lead with men has jumped from 1 to 12 points.
Romney wants more voters like poll participant Wesley Allen, 41, a welder at southern Ohio’s Ripley Metal Works, where he said employees have worked with a 25 percent pay cut for almost two years. Allen said he voted for Obama in 2008.
“Four years ago, I made a mistake. I fell for the whole ‘change’ thing,” he said. “I got on the ‘change’ train. But there wasn’t any change.”
This year, Allen has made plans with four co-workers to meet in front of his Ripley home at 6 a.m. on Election Day and go vote together — all for Romney.
“I honestly believe that Romney will, with his business sense, be able to get us out of this. Four years with Obama and we haven’t succeeded in anything.”
Obama wants more voters like respondent Bruce Meyer, 46, a sales director from Akron who said he is backing the president despite the country’s current economic struggles.
“I sort of look at it as he inherited a mess. I remember how bad things were roughly four years ago. I put a lot of the blame on why things were so bad on the previous eight years,” Meyer said.
“I think we’re on the right course, and to change course now would be a big mistake.”
He said Romney’s remarks about the “47 percent” solidified his thinking.
“I don’t think he has any understanding whatsoever of raising a family and getting up and getting to work on a day-to-day and month-to-month basis. I just don’t think he gets people like me.”
