QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY POLL

Poll: Obama leads Romney in Ohio by 10 points

President Obama is over the magic 50 percent mark and tops former Massachusetts Governor Romney among likely voters by 9 to 12 percentage points in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

A poll of swing-state Ohio out today shows President Obama holding a commanding 10-point over Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

The Quinnipiac University poll comes out as Mr. Romney is in Ohio trying to turn that trend around. Mr. Romney brings his campaign to Toledo's SeaGate Convention Centre this evening after stops in the suburbs of Columbus and Cleveland.

President Obama is over the magic 50 percent mark and tops former Massachusetts Governor Romney among likely voters by 9 to 12 percentage points in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to the Quinnipiac University/ CBS News/New York Times Swing State Poll.

The poll says Mr.Obama leads Mr. Romney 53-43 percent in Ohio. 

Quinnipiac says voters see President Obama as better than Governor Romney to handle the economy, health care, Medicare, national security, an international crisis and immigration. Romney ties or inches ahead of the president on handling the budget deficit.

“Gov. Mitt Romney had a bad week in the media and it shows in these key swing states,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “The furor over his 47 percent remark almost certainly is a major factor in the roughly double-digit leads President Barack Obama has in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The debates may be Romney’s best chance to reverse the trend in his favor.”

“The president’s strength results from the fact that for the first time in the entire campaign, he is seen as better able to fix the economy than is Romney, the issue that has been the Republican’s calling card since the general election campaign began. And the economy remains the overwhelming choice as the most important issue to voters’ presidential choice.”

In Ohio, Mr. Obama leads 60–35 percent among Ohio women likely voters, while men support Mr. Romney 52–44 percent. White voters back Mr. Romney by a narrow 49–46 percent, while 98 percent of black voters back the president. Independent voters are split with 47 percent for Mr. Romney and 46 percent for Mr. Obama.

The economy is the most important issue for 49 percent of Ohio voters, while 21 percent list health care; 12 percent list the budget deficit and 5 percent list national security.

The president would do a better job on health care, voters say 54 – 40 percent and do a better job on Medicare, voters say 55 – 39 percent. Voters over 55 say Obama would do a better job on Medicare 54 – 41 percent and back the president 52 – 44 percent.

Mr. Romney would do a better job on the budget deficit, voters say 49–45.

A total of 55 percent of Ohio voters are “very confident” or “somewhat confident” in Mr. Obama’s ability to make the right decisions about events in the Middle East, compared to 46 percent for Romney.

In Ohio’s U.S. Senate race, Democratic incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown leads State Treasurer Josh Mandel, the Republican challenger, 50–40 percent.

Ohio voters approve 48–35 percent of the job Gov. John Kasich is doing.

“Mitt Romney may not be doing well in Ohio, but his fellow Republican, Gov. John Kasich, seems to have resurrected his political standing in the Buckeye State,” Mr. Brown said. “Kasich finds himself with a mid-teens double digit positive approval margin.”