Politics

Poll: Romney narrowly leads Obama among registered voters in a head-to-head race

Alexis Levinson Political Reporter
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Mitt Romney would tie President Obama in a head-to-head contest, according to a Washington Post/ABC poll released Tuesday. Among registered voters, the survey showed Romney would narrowly lead.

Romney ties Obama with 47 percent of the vote among adult Americans. When weighted to only look at registered voters, he edges Obama 49 percent to 46 percent.

Romney is the only Republican candidate who keeps pace with Obama. The president comes in at least 10 percentage points ahead of the other candidates tested – Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich, Tim Pawlenty, Michele Bachmann, and Sarah Palin.

Romney’s ascendance comes alongside disappointing poll numbers for the president, whose approval rating has dropped to 47 percent, down from 56 percent on May 2 of this year. The Washington Post suggests that this shows the end of his bump in approval rating after killing Osama bin Laden, though Gallup and other polls have not yet shown a significant downturn.

Obama fares poorly when people are asked whether they approve or disapprove of his handling of the economy or the budget deficit. Fifty-nine percent of people disapprove of how he is handling the economy and 61 percent disapprove of his handling of the federal budget deficit.

Additionally, 66 percent of respondents said that things in the country have “gotten pretty seriously off on the wrong track.”