BREAKING: 10/15 Gallup USA Today Poll: Romney up 51-46 among Likely Voters in 12 Swing States

Posted  October 15, 2012 

Swing States poll: Women push Romney into lead

Today and Gallup are out today with a new poll that puts Romney ahead of Obama, 51 percent to 46 percent, among likely voters in critical swing states. The poll, which surveyed 1,023 registered voters, also found Romney tied with Obama among likely female voters in swing states. Romney started off slowly — and largely unfavorably — among women, making his increasing favorability among them even more remarkable. According to the survey, women are becoming increasingly concerned by the troubled economy and see Romney as the better candidate to address it.

As the presidential campaign heads into its final weeks, the survey of voters in 12 crucial swing states finds female voters much more engaged in the election and increasingly concerned about the deficit and debt issues that favor Romney. The Republican nominee now ties the president among women who are likely voters, 48%-48%, while he leads by 12 points among men.

“In every poll, we’ve seen a major surge among women in favorability for Romney” since his strong performance in the first debate, veteran Democratic pollster Celinda Lake says. “Women went into the debate actively disliking Romney, and they came out thinking he might understand their lives and might be able to get something done for them.”


Romney’s improved standing among female voters is “likely to cause major consternation among Obama supporters,” says Richard Eichenberg, a Tufts University political scientist who is studying gender differences in state-level polling with Elizabeth Robinson. “If Mr. Romney has tied President Obama among women in swing states, then he has likely taken a step toward winning the election.

Let’s hope so!

See all the USA Today charts & polls at the link on the WRD home page