Romney Gets Poll Bounce in Swing States

by Alana Goodman

Via the Purple Poll, Mitt Romney has seen gains in Ohio and Pennsylvania since choosing Paul Ryan as his running mate. While President Obama has made some inroads in Colorado and Florida, Romney still leads by a 1-point margin in the latter:

Romney has seen the largest gain in Ohio, a state we have seen bounce between the campaigns over the last few months. Today, the GOP ticket leads by 2 points (46% to 44%), compared to July when President Obama led the state 48% to 45%. Romney also gained ground in Virginia – today, he and Paul Ryan hold a 3-point advantage in the race (48% to 45%), while Romney trailed by 2 points in July.

However, President Obama has seen improvements in Colorado and Florida. In Colorado, the Obama-Biden ticket now leads 49% to 46%, an increase from a 1-point lead in July. In Florida, the Democratic ticket trails by just 1 point (48% to 47%), compared to a 3 point deficit in July.

The bounce can either be chalked up to Ryan (a sign that the choice is already paying dividends), or to momentum that was with Romney before the VP announcement (which would contradict speculation that Romney only chose Ryan out of desperation).

There are also some interesting numbers on Medicare inside the poll. In Florida, Romney-Ryan and Obama-Biden are in a virtual tie on the question of who will best protect Medicare. More Floridians also describe the Romney-Ryan budget plan as “reduc[ing] the deficit/help[ing] the economy and Medicare” as opposed to “tax breaks for the rich/end[ing] Medicare.”

Interestingly enough, Romney-Ryan are also viewed as the candidates most likely to bring “real change” to Washington. Apparently voters don’t hold out hope that a second Obama term will be much different from the first.

Alana Goodman

Source: http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2012/08/16/romney-poll-bounce-swing-states-medicare-florida/

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