Two new national polls show vastly different results — in a new Gallup suvery of registered voters in twelve swing states (Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, Iowa, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Obama) is bested by former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum by a 50 – 45 margin, and by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney 48 – 46.
But in a new joint poll commissioned by POLITICO and George Washington University, Obama is way out ahead nationally. In the POLITICO/GWU numbers, Obama leads Romney by ten (53 – 43) and Santorum by 11 (53 – 42). “Romney is bloodied after nine contests, five of which he has lost,” POLITICO’s James Hohmann wrote in his analysis. “Only 33 percent of independents view him favorably, compared with 51 percent who see him in an unfavorable light. In a head-to-head match-up against Obama among independents, Romney now trails 49 percent to 27 percent.”
Gallup wrote extensively about how health care reform, which remains unpopular, could come back to sting President Obama in the fall. “Two years after he signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act— and as the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments about its constitutionality next month — the president has failed to convince most Americans that it was the right thing to do,” USA Today wrote.
But the Democratic pollster that helped conduct the POLITICO/GWU bipartisan poll said Romney was the one facing real issues. “I don’t think it’s set in stone, but Romney is on the verge of getting to be disqualified — particularly among women and independent voters — in a way that poses a very, very serious challenge for the Republican Party,” said Democratic pollster Celinda Lake told the site.
