Obama Leads Romney by Six Points in Poll Citing Economy
President Barack Obama leads Republican challenger Mitt Romney among registered voters even as a majority disapprove of his handling of the U.S. economy, a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows.
The poll, released yesterday, gave Obama a 49 percent to 43 percent edge over Romney. The president led Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, by 47 percent to 44 percent in the same survey conducted last month.
Fifty-three percent in the latest poll disapprove of the president’s stewardship of the economy compared with 44 percent who approve. Just 32 percent of respondents said that things are generally headed in the right direction compared with 60 percent who say things are on the wrong track. About 27 percent say the economy will get better in the next year, the smallest share since November 2011, the poll found.
Obama’s edge is attributable in part to voters who view him more favorably than Romney. About 49 percent say they have a very positive or a somewhat positive feeling toward Obama compared with 43 percent who have a very negative or somewhat negative impression. Romney’s positive rating is 35 percent and his negative rating is 40 percent.