Texas Republican News: Mitt Romney’s Debate Performance Cuts Into Obama’s Lead
The following is a digest of an article originally published at the Pew Research Center. We’re posting this digest as a public service for Texas lobbyists, Texas government consultants, Texas political activists, Texas Republicans, and other interested parties.
It looks as though last week’s debate has closed the estimated voter gap between President Obama and Mitt Romney. About 3/4 of voters are saying that Mitt Romney gave a better performance than President Obama, and it’s got almost every major media outlet talking. This huge leap in the polls will probably lead towards a tighter race in November than most people expected. Romney and Obama are now both sitting at 46% of the population’s vote, while in September they were at 42% and 51%. Romney has become a serious contender for the Presidency.
The swing states and votes are key in this year’s Presidential election. Everyone is waiting to see what they will do, as such a tight race places a great deal of power in their hands. Toss-up states for the 2012 election are Virginia, Florida, Colorado, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Nevada. These eight states have got everyone holding their breath to see who will take the 2012 Presidency. There are other states with moderate Democratic/Republican polling leads and histories. There is always the chance that some of these more moderate states might surprise us.
“Swing voters express varying views of the candidates’ strengths. Some 18% of registered voters are swing voters in the latest survey, meaning they are either undecided, only lean toward one of the candidates, or favor a candidate but say there is still a chance they will change their mind. A month ago, 22% of registered voters fell in this category. By a 69% to 7% margin, swing voters say Obama is the candidate who connects well with ordinary Americans.”
It’s also important that Romney does well with middle class voters, which it seems he presently does. Middle class voters since the debate have shifted their opinions on Romney’s ability to help them through the present recession. The majority of voters still believe that Obama is more likely to help the poor, and Romney is more likely to aid the wealthy. However, numbers indicate that voters believe that Romney and Obama are both equally as likely to help the struggling middle class.