Poll: Romney, Obama deadlocked in Florida

A new poll released Saturday shows President Obama and presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney deadlocked in the key swing state of Florida.

The Tampa Bay Times, Miami Herald and Bay News 9 survey, conducted by Mason-Dixon, finds Obama with 46 percent support among registered voters in the state to Romney's 45.

A similar poll from Mason-Dixon in January showed Romney with a 4 point lead over Obama.

Obama holds the edge among independent voters with 46 percent to 41 for Romney.?

Mason-Dixon pollster Brad Coker, who conducted the survey, dubbed the presidential race in the Sunshine state a "Coin toss." "Typical Florida," he added.

But the poll holds troubling signs for the president's reelection bid. Fifty-four percent of likely Florida voters say the country is on the wrong track with Obama in office.

On the central issue in the 2012 race, the economy, only 35 percent say Obama's policies have improved the economy, with 41 percent saying they have made it worse.

Obama is also underwater on overall job performance, with 50 percent disapproving of his policies with 46 percent giving him a positive grade.?

Obama's team, though, has made headway with their attempts to depict Romney as out-of-touch with voters struggling with the economy.?

The president?s campaign has blanketed swing states with a series of ads charging Romney with helping American companies move jobs overseas as head of private equity firm Bain Capital, and calling on the GOP candidate to release more tax records after reports detailed his offshore holdings.

Forty-seven percent say Romney?s business experience at Bain, which the campaign is touting, will help Romney boost the economy. Thirty-eight percent however agreed with the statement that Romney ?is more concerned with making money and his practices in many instances have unnecessarily cost people their jobs.??

Romney?s campaign has hit back against those ads, calling them misleading and saying that the president is attempting to distract voters from his own weak jobs record.?

The poll also shows Romney would receive a small boost if he selected Florida's freshman Sen. Marco Rubio (R) as running mate. With Rubio on the ticket, Romney edges out Obama 46 percent to 45.

Rubio, a Cuban-American, though would help Romney flip the Hispanic vote in the state. Without Rubio, Obama bests Romney in the poll among Latino voters 49 percent to 42, but a Romney-Rubio ticket tops Obama and Vice President Biden 44 percent to 43.?

Nationally, Obama holds a strong edge with Hispanic voters, buoyed in part by his decision to halt the deportation of some young illegal immigrants. Both campaigns have reached out to Hispanics who hold sway in many key swing states, including Florida.

The poll which was conducted from July 9 to 11 has a 3.5 percent margin of error.

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Source: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/polls/237903-poll-romney-obama-deadlocked-in-florida

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