2012 Presidential Election, Poll | featured news

In a campaign fast growing nasty, the Republican National Committee is trying a gentler approach... Several Republicans who weren't involved in making the ad say a softer approach may be essential to the effort to defeat Obama in November, given polls showing him with strong personal favorability ratings. The ad is airing in Ohio, Virginia, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Colorado and Iowa.

Citing a poll conducted by Global Strategy Group and Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group in the battleground states of Colorado, Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Florida, Priorities USA claimed that more voters say Romney’s experience at Bain makes them less likely to vote for him, 37% to 27%. Claiming that its own anti-Bain ads are working, Priorities USA pointed out that in the 11 markets they’ve advertised in within those five states, Obama leads Romney by eight points (49% to 41%) compared with a three-point lead in those without the ads (46% to 43%).

A Gallup Poll shows 20% of voters say Mitt Romney's wealth makes them less likely to vote for the Republican... "Enough Americans generally and independents specifically say Romney's wealth makes them less likely to vote for him that it could in theory make a difference at the margins in some key swing states," writes Frank Newport, Gallup's editor in chief.

Americans find both President Obama and Republican opponent Mitt Romney likable -- Obama more so, reports the Gallup Poll. Presented with a list of eight personal characteristics that could describe the candidates, 81% of respondents said Obama "is likable;" 64% said the same of Romney.

When it comes to the economy, half of Americans in a new poll say it won't matter much whether Barack Obama or Mitt Romney wins - even though the presidential candidates have staked their chances on which would be better at fixing the economic mess....

The poll follows a recent trend showing Romney catching up to Obama in Michigan, where he had trailed badly. Romney said this week that if he can win Michigan, where he was born and raised, he could capture the presidency. Michigan has gone for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since backing Republican George H.W. Bush in 1988.

Still, in a measure of Romney's own vulnerabilities, even some voters who say they support Romney believe the president will still be re-elected. Of all adults polled, 56 percent believe Obama will win a second term.

A Bloomberg National Poll will be raising eyebrows today because it gives President Obama a huge lead over Mitt Romney. The Bloomberg National Poll shows Obama leading Romney 53% to 40% among likely voters, a much bigger lead than other surveys.

President Obama’s decision to extend administrative relief to an estimated 800,000 young illegal immigrants has won favor with Latino voters in key battleground states, according to a new poll.

Only 38 percent of those up-for-grabs Americans have favorable views of Obama's economic plans, with a majority (54 percent) disapproving. The good news for the embattled president? They aren't much more impressed by Romney's economic ideas -- 47 percent rate his approach unfavorably, with just 35 percent in favor.