Mitt Romney, President Obama in virtual tie in Ohio, Florida: poll 

Just a month ago, Obama was ahead in both states
BY ALIYAH SHAHID / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Thursday, May 3, 2012

Mitt Romney is hot on President Obama’s heels.

A new Quinnipiac University poll shows the presumed Republican presidential candidate in a virtual tie with Obama in the key, battleground states of Florida and Ohio.

Just a month ago, Obama was ahead in both states.

In the Sunshine State, 44% of likely voters favored Romney, compared to 43% for Obama, according to the survey, which was released Thursday. In March, the President led the state by seven points.

And in Ohio, Obama’s lead — at six points in March — has shrunk, too. The President accrued 44% to Romney’s 42%.

Both of the state’s results came within the margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

The good news for Obama is that he still holds a decent lead in Pennsylvania, which was also included in the survey. In fact, he has gained ground — from six to eight points against Romney since March — at 47% to 39%.

“Romney’s ability to cut into the President’s leads in Ohio and Florida reflects two changes in the political environment: First, since he is now the de facto nominee, Romney is no longer being attacked by his fellow Republicans, who are closing ranks behind him,” said pollster Peter Brown.

“Second, voter optimism about the economy has leveled off, reflecting economic statistics over the past month and the public reaction to them.”

Among the poll’s other findings:

-Overall, voters in Ohio and Florida think Romney would be better at fixing the economy than Obama.

- Romney has a 10-point lead over Obama among men in the Buckeye State.

- Women tend to favor Obama over Romney in Pennsylvania by a sizable 52%-35%.

- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Sen. Bob Portman top the GOP vice presidential guess list.

The poll of 1,169 voters in Florida, 1,130 voters in Ohio and 1,168 voters in Pennsylvania was conducted April 25 to May 1.