By State Representative, Leon D. Young
Leon D. Young
There are approximately seven weeks remaining before the general election in November. As we all know, this is an eternity in politics. However, voters, who want to see President Obama get a second-term in office, can be encouraged by some recent polling trends.
Believe it or not, Fox news released a new poll last Thursday showing that President Barack Obama leads Mitt Romney in three (key) battleground states.
The poll, which covered Ohio, Virginia and Florida, shows Obama leading the former governor by seven points in both Ohio (49 to 42 percent) and Virginia (50 t0 43 percent). In Florida, Obama leads by five points (49 to 44 percent), which is within the poll’s margin of error. Obama won all three states in 2008, marking the first time Virginia voted for a Democratic president since 1964.
There is also good news from the Great Lake State. In Michigan, Obama has opened up a lead against his rival. A CNN poll puts him up eight points in Michigan (52 to 44 percent).
Much closer to home, the president’s polling numbers are also on the upswing in Wisconsin. According to the most recent Marquette Law School polling data, Obama’s lead over GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney grew from 3 percent last month to 14 percent in September among likely voters. The shift has been most notable among Independent voters. Independents preferred Obama over Romney 45 to 43 (percent) in August, but in September that all changed – 53 to 38 percent.
The economy is the most important election issue for 45 percent of Wisconsin voters; while 23 percent name health care, 12 percent cite the budget deficit and 4 percent list national security. The president would do a better job on the economy 49 percent of voters say, while 46 percent pick Romney.
President Obama and Mitt Romney both agree that this run for the White House is far from over.The electorate appears to be equally divided, with the outcome of this election hinging on nine battleground states ( Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin and Colorado ).
There is an African saying, “there’s many a twist between the cup and the lip.”The wisdom of this expression definitely seems apparent to the eventual outcome of this presidential quest.