New NBC/Marist polls find Mitt Romney gaining on President Obama in Ohio and Virginia, though the shifts are all within the poll’s margin of error. A CBS/NYT/Quinnipiac poll found Romney moving up in Wisconsin and Colorado.
In Ohio, Obama leads 51 to 45 percent, a 2-point shift in Romney’s favor since before the first presidential debate. In Virginia, Romney edges out Obama 48 percent to 47 percent, a 3-point boost for the Republican. The Florida race remains deadlocked at 48 percent for Obama to 47 percent for Romney; it was 47 to 46 percent before the debate.
In Wisconsin, according to the CBS/NYT/Quinnipiac survey, Obama’s lead has shrunk from 6 points last month to 3. In Colorado, Romney edges Obama 48 percent to 47 percent, within the margin of error; last month those numbers were reversed.This poll found the Virginia race unchanged.
In the Ohio poll Democrats had an 11-point advantage over Republicans, far more than the last NBC/Marist poll. The pollsters suggest that heavy early voting in Obama’s favor was a factor.
Both pollsters found that the vast majority of voters had made up their minds before the debate. But those who hadn’t broke overwhelmingly for Romney.
