A new poll from ABC News and the Washington Post of a possible presidential matchup between President Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney shows Romney doing much better against the President after being down for most of February — among registered voters nationally in the new poll, Romney outpaces Obama 49 – 47. In a poll from ABC/WaPo released in early February, Obama had a six point lead among registered voters, 51 – 45. And yet, while President Obama is down, a majority of Americans expect him to be re-elected. From their analysis:
The results of the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll mark two political realities: One, the sharp division of public attitudes for and against Obama, with continued greater intensity of sentiment among his critics. And two, the damaging political effects of rising gasoline prices, which have surpassed the federal budget deficit as Obama’s single weakest issue…
Challenging as that is for Obama, perceived weakness in his Republican opposition counteracts some of these views. Fifty-four percent of Americans now expect the president to win a second term, up by 8 points from January and by a sharp 17 points from October, before employment gains breathed new life into his then-dim prospects.
The current TPM Poll Average of a potential race nationally shows Romney picking up speed.
