Obama Over Romney By 18 In NBC/Marist Poll Of Michigan

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A new NBC/Marist College poll of a possible general election matchup in Michigan between President Obama and native son former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney shows no home state advantage for Romney — Obama bests him by 18 in the new poll, 51 – 33. The results may be driven by a local issue of importance, the government bailout of the auto industry. 

Registered voters polled in the state think the auto bailout was a good idea at a 63 percent clip, while 28 percent said it was a bad one. “Among Democrats in Michigan, most — 87% — give Obama at least some of the credit for the auto industry’s recovery while just 23% of Republicans share this view,” Marist pollsters wrote in their analysis. “Among independent voters, a majority — 53% — say the president deserves at least a good amount of recognition.” Those numbers seem to feed into Obama’s general approval rating, 51 percent approve versus 38 disapprove in state.

Romney, on the other hand, was against the bailout when it was proposed and has since tried to finesse that position, only to have enraged both proponents of the measure and conservatives who opposed it.

Adding the NBC/Marist numbers into the current TPM Poll Average, the trend shows Obama opening up a lead as the economy improves.

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