There’s some good news out there today in America, Save Jerseyans: Barack Obama is as vulnerable as ever with under four months to go before Election Day.
A new survey from The Hill found 53% of voters believing the President “has taken the wrong actions and has slowed the economy down.” Duh? Only 42% think he’s helped and, to be fair, Obama couldn’t do much worse with our hyper-polarized electorate. Even more ominous for Democrats is the incumbent’s evaporating monetary edge. He outspent Mitt Romney 2-to-1 in June yet failed to move the polls an inch. Meanwhile, Governor Romney’s fundraising advantage and combined party and Super PAC support will allow him to go toe-to-toe with the President going forward.
One “bright” spot for President Obama? Ohio, believe it or not.
The President continues to hold a 5pt+ average lead in the Buckeye State, whereas he leads Governor Romney by not better than a 1pt or 2 in most other battleground states. Ohio is always tough; the Obama’s campaign might be benefiting from a slightly better unemployment rate (7.3%) than the current national average (8.2%).
All the more reason why Romney may settle on Ohio’s Rob Portman, assuming you agree with that popular wisdom that he’s worth 3 to 5pts for Romney on the ground there. He just might be, folks. Born in Cincinnati in 1955, Portman was elected to his first U.S. Senate term in 2010 with 57% of the vote and 82 of Ohio’s 88 counties.
