Race tightens for Obama in key US states

President Barack Obama leads his Republican rival Mitt Romney in the battleground of Ohio, but the race has tightened in two other key states ahead of the November 6 elections, according to a poll out Thursday. Obama continues to enjoy a 6-point advantage in Ohio with 50 percent compared to 44 percent for Romney, according to the Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times poll. But he is facing increasing competition in Florida, where 49 percent say they would vote for him -- three points ahead of opponent but within the survey's margin of error, and down from 51 percent earlier this month. Romney, at 46 percent, garners more support among men (51 percent compared to 45 percent) and seniors (55 percent compared to 42 percent), a crucial voting group in the Sunshine state. Florida is the largest of the so-called swing states expected to decide November's election, making its huge senior population a key demographic for both candidates. In the state of Wisconsin, home of Romney's recently announced running mate Paul Ryan, Obama holds a 2-point lead -- also within the poll's margin of error -- over Romney with 49 percent, slipping from six points earlier in the month. While Obama can claim a 9-point advantage among women in the midwestern state, Romney has a 5-point edge among men and a large lead among white Catholics (58 percent to 38 percent). The survey, based on 4,408 telephone interviews carried out between August 15-21, shows that those polled believe the president is better at handling Medicare, a politically sensitive public health program for seniors, than Romney. The poll also found that the economy, followed by health care, tops the list of crucial issues for likely voters in the three states. Medicare ranked third. Sixty percent of likely Florida voters, as well as 59 percent in Ohio and 54 percent in Wisconsin, describe the economy as "extremely important." Fifty-six percent of Florida voters saw health care as "extremely important," as did 52 percent of Ohio voters and 50 percent of Wisconsin voters. In 2008, Obama won Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin in his election victory over Republican John McCain.