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Romney catching up with Obama in polls

Xinhua, April 19, 2012

• Presumed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is catching up in polls with President Barack Obama, signaling a close race this fall.

  According to New York Times/CBS News poll results released Wednesday, registered voters were evenly split between Romney and Obama. The poll found that 46 percent support Obama, while as many prefer Romney. Last month, the same poll found 47 percent supported Obama and 44 percent went for Romney.

  But the poll also showed a lack of strong enthusiasm among Republican voters for Romney's candidacy. Only one in three said they would enthusiastically support him in November.

  The nationwide poll was based on telephone interviews conducted April 13-17 on landlines and cellphones with 852 registered voters, including 268 Republican primary or caucus voters. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus three percentage points among all voters and six percentage points among Republican primary voters.

  Recent polls have shown a trend that Romney is catching up with Obama, as he solidifies GOP support. However, Romney often runs stronger than Obama on the question of who can better handle the economy, yet Obama's favorability rating is usually higher.

  A CNN poll released Monday revealed Obama scored higher than Romney on 13 personal attributes. Obama held a 29-point advantage on likability, but that fell to a statistically meaningless 2-point lead on the economy.

  Meanwhile, an ABC survey released Monday also showed a huge likability gap between Obama and Romney. The president sported a plus 26 percent rating, while Romney was at a minus 12 percent. And when asked which of the two was more likable, 64 percent said Obama, while only 26 percent said Romney. Despite the massive gap, Romney was still viewed as stronger on the economy, 47 percent to Obama's 43.

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