The latest ABC/Washington Post poll shows President Barack Obama with a narrow 3-point advantage over presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney in what has been a hyper-competitive introduction to the general election season.
Among registered voters nationwide, the survey found 49 percent intend to vote for Obama in November while 46 plan to support Romney, well within the poll’s 4-point margin of error. The poll also confirmed what has been clear all along: the economy will loom large in this race.
From the Washington Post:
Despite flare-ups over issues including contraception and same-sex marriage, more than half of all Americans cite the economy as the one concern that will decide their vote in the fall, relegating others — such as health care, taxes and the federal deficit — to single-digit status.
More than eight in 10 Americans still rate the national economy negatively, but there are strains of optimism as it continues to recover from the collapse of 2008. A majority of Americans — 54 percent — say they are more hopeful than anxious about the situation over the next few years, while 58 percent are bullish about their financial prospects.
When asked which candidate would do a better job in handling the economy, voters were split: 47 percent give the nod to Obama and 47 percent prefer Romney. The two candidates are also tied when it comes to creating jobs, with 46 percent of voters saying they trust Obama compared with 45 percent who favor Romney. But the president has the clear upper hand when it comes to relating to voters, with 48 percent saying Obama better understands the economic problems facing people in this country compared with 40 percent who say Romney.
The PollTracker Average also shows Obama with a razor-thin lead over Romney.
