Polls Indicate Romney has a Slight Edge over Obama

Recent polls indicate that likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney's popularity is on the upswing as President Barack Obama's slowly declines.

A CBS/New York Times Poll conducted May 11-13 indicates that 46 percent of participants favor Mitt Romney while 43 percent favor President Barack Obama. The margin for error is four percentage points. A poll conducted last month showed the two garnering 46 percent favorability. In the Rasmussen Reports between May 10 through 12, Romney leads 48 percent to 44 percent while the Gallup poll has the president up 46 percent to 45 percent.

These polls come after an active week in which President Obama launched his campaign and announced his support of gay marriage. According to the CBS/New York Times Poll of 615 adults, 16 percent are more likely to vote for the President because of his announced stance on gay marriage, 26 percent are less likely to vote for the President, and 57 percent state that the announcement has no impact on their vote. However, 67 percent indicate that they believe the announcement to be a political calculation, a perception the Obama Campaign has been working hard to alter.

More telling are polls in major swing states such as Ohio and Florida. Three of four major polls in Florida indicate Romney has a slight lead. In the Quinnipiac poll Romney has a 44 percent to 43 percent lead; Rasmussen Reports gives him a 46 percent to 45 percent edge; and Purple Strategies gives him a slightly more comfortable 47 percent to 44 percent lead. Obama leads only in the Suffolk/7 News poll 46 percent to 45 percent. In Ohio, the President's lead over Romney has dropped from a 5.5 percentage points in April and early May to just one point in the most recent Quinnipiac poll.

Additionally, The CBS/NY Times Poll indicates that Romney now leads the President among independents 43 percent to 36 percent, while the President holds a 50 percent to 39 percent lead over Romney amongst moderates.

Regarding views on the economy, the major issue in the election, the USA Today/Gallup Poll showed that 55 percent of voters believe the economy will improve under Romney while 46 percent believe Obama can still do a better job. The margin for error in this poll is four percentage points.

Both Romney and Obama have unfavorable approval ratings. 45 percent approve and 45 percent disapprove of the Presidents work while Romney has an approval rating of 31 percent and a disapproval rate of 38 percent.