Romney's Leading in North Carolina
Americans are divided as to who will best handle foreign issues, and Romney leads North Carolina. Here's our guide to today's polls and why they matter.
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Findings: In the wake of Romney's gaffe-filled jaunt overseas, voters are still divided on who would best handle foreign affairs. A new poll finds that 44 percent of Americans think Obama and is "better able to deal with America’s allies" and 44 percent think Romney is. When it comes to handling our enemies 43 percent think Obama is better for the job and 44 percent think Romney is.
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Pollster: Rasmussen
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Methodology: 1,000 likely voters were polled between July 31 through August 1 via automated poll. The margine of error is +/-3 percentage points with a "95% level of confidence."
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Why it matters: The media has mostly focused on the more disastrous elements of Romney's trip, but this poll shows that he and Obama are even when it comes to convincing voters they will best handle foreign relations. According to CNN's Tom Cohen, analysts agree that any fallout from Romney's trip won't be that important. "The good news for him is that Americans care about economic issues," Doug Bandow from the Cato Institute told Cohen. That said, a USA Today/Gallup poll from last month, before the trip, showed Obama with a stronger lead when it comes to foreign policy. From USA Today: "More than half of Americans, or 52%, say Obama can better handle foreign policy concerns compared with 40% who choose the presumptive Republican nominee. The numbers are closer among registered voters, who give Obama a 4-point advantage."
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Caveat: Rasmussen is conservative-leaning.
Findings: Romney leads in North Carolina 49 percent to Obama's 44 percent.
Pollster: Rasmussen
Methodology: 500 likely voters were surveyed in North Carolina on August 1 via automated poll. The margin of sampling error +/-4.5 percentage points with a "with a 95% level of confidence."
Why it matters: Rasmussen explains that this poll moves the state from "Toss-Up" to "Leans Romney," and The Hill notes that these are Romney's "best poll numbers in the pivotal swing state in more than a month," and attribute that mostly to "economic dissatisfaction" in the state.
Caveat: As we mentioned above, Rasmussen goes right.
