By Jon Cassidy | Ohio Watchdog
COLUMBUS — Mitt Romney’s universally acclaimed performance in the first presidential debate has gotten him back in the race in Ohio.
Just a week ago, the GOP candidate was trailing by 8 to 10 points in almost all of the statewide polls.
But two polls conducted Thursday, the day after the debate, showed a dead heat. One put Romney a point ahead, one a point behind.
In a survey of 500 likely voters, Rasmussen Reports showed Democratic President Barack Obama leading 50 percent to 49 percent.
We Ask America surveyed 1,200 likely voters Thursday, and found Romney leading 47 percent to 46 percent. Josh Marshall, the editor of Talking Points Memo, says the firm is “a Republicanish pollster. But their numbers have been more reactive and bouncy than consistently Republican.”
Rasmussen had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points, and We Ask America had a margin of 3 percentage points.
We Ask America included Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson in its survey, and found just 1 percent support.
In a poll two weeks earlier, Gravis Marketing had found 10.6 percent support for Johnson, provoking some local discussion of whether Johnson would turn out to be a spoiler for Romney.
Both polls also showed Romney pulling into the lead in Virginia and Florida, other key swing states.
We Ask America had found Obama leading by 8 points in a July survey of Ohio.
Contact Jon Cassidy at jon@ohiowatchdog.org.
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