Poll Shows Mortgage Crisis Could Hurt Obama In Florida

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A new poll on voters’ perception of the financial and mortgage crises shows a potential hurdle for Obama in the key swing state of Florida: A majority of voters disapprove of how Obama has handled the mortgage crisis.

The poll, commissioned by Campaign for a Fair Settlement, a group of labor and Democratic-leaning organizations, and conducted by Public Policy Polling, finds that only 36 percent of Florida voters approve of the president’s handling of the mortgage crisis while 50 percent disapprove. Almost six in 10 Florida voters believe President Obama has “not done enough to hold the banks accountable for their role in the housing collapse.” 

On the bright side for Obama, 69 percent of responders said that the financial crisis was due at least in part to “criminal actions by Wall Street executives,” giving Obama room to grow if he takes a harder stance against the banks.

The irony here is that President Obama may agree with Florida voters. A long piece in the Washington Post last year detailed the president’s own frustration with what has arguably been an inadequate response to the housing crisis. 

Florida has been one of the hardest-hit states. Mitt Romney used the housing crisis against Obama during the Florida primary, and will likely continue to bring up the issue through November. 

The poll’s margin of error was 4 percent.

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