The battle for the nation’s key swing states will likely come down to a few key demographics, as polls have shown voters increasingly torn between the two candidates. In Virginia, the Obama-Biden ticket has lost the small lead it had in September, with a poll conducted last week by Anderson Robbins Research/Shaw & Co. Research showing Romney-Ryan leading 46-44, with 9% of the state’s voters remaining undecided.
In 2008, President Obama won Virginia’s 13 electoral votes by 7 points, but will likely be playing catchup going into this year’s polls. Pro-Obama ads have targeted women and the “47 percent” that Romney infamously commented on when referring to Americans who do not pay income tax. Democrats have been clear in marking Romney’s campaign as a return to Bush-era politics.
“We can’t go back to the policies that got us into this mess,’’ Obama said during a rally in Nashua N.H. over the weekend. “We’ve got to continue with the policies that are getting us out of this mess.” New Hampshire’s four electoral votes are also being contested. “These four electoral votes – right here – could make all the difference in the world,’’ Obama told a group of volunteers in Manchester, N.H.
Romney made his own appeals to women voters during a Florida campaign stop on Saturday, reaching out to poor and middle class mothers. “I think of single moms today who are scrimping and saving to have a good meal on the table,’’ Romney said, while calling for “big change” in November.
In the past months Romney has been working to soften his public image in order to compete with Obama’s generally likeable public persona. The GOP candidate also impressed voters during the October debates, allowing him to gain ground in the polls.
