Yet another poll has shown the presidential race in Ohio tied, with President Barack Obama dropping below the crucial 50 percent mark. The latest Akron Beacon Journal/Ohio Newspaper Organization poll shows the race in a 49%-49% tie, with Republican Mitt Romney erasing the 51%-46% lead Obama enjoyed as of late September.
The poll, with a D+3 sample, also showed Romney leading 51%-46% on the issue of the economy. Obama held a slight lead among independent voters, albeit with a very large margin of error, given the small number of uncommitted voters remaining. Obama has retained his double-digit margin among women, while Romney has opened a double-digit lead among Ohio men, according to the poll.
Both campaigns are attempting to spin recent Ohio poll numbers in their favor, with the Obama campaign insisting that it is holding onto a narrow lead. Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus told CNN’s Candy Crowley on Sunday’s State of the Union program that the race is tied, and that a tie “goes to the challenger.”
The campaigns have also dueled over early voting numbers in Ohio and elsewhere. The Obama campaign claims a large lead among those who are voting early, but the Romney campaign insists that margin is among a very small proportion of voters, and that the gap between Democrats and Republicans in early and absentee voting has narrowed significantly since 2008.