Washington: President Barack Obama is carving out a clear lead in swing states that are key to the November 6 presidential election, even as national polls show him neck-and-neck with Republican rival Mitt Romney.
Helped by the White House's recent loosening of immigration rules, Obama leads Romney in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida, according to a Quinnipiac University survey on Wednesday.
An NBC/Wall Street Journal national poll showed Obama ahead of his challenger by just 3 points: a lead of 47 per cent to 44 per cent which is within the margin of error.
However, the Democrat's lead stretches to 8 points when the race is measured in 12 tightly contested states.
Voters are still deeply worried about the economy, and Obama's campaign could suffer a heavy blow if the Supreme Court rules against his healthcare overhaul on Thursday.
But on paper, Obama seems to have an easier path than Romney to winning 270 electoral college votes, and thus the election, if he can hold on to some of the big swing states he won in 2008.
Among the most contested battleground states today, Obama won Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida in 2008.
"If he can keep those leads in all three of these key swing states through Election Day he would be virtually assured of re-election," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
Despite his inroads in key states, voters are still critical of Obama for his handling of the economy.
Forty-nine per cent of respondents in the NBC/Wall Street Journal national poll said they are less optimistic about the economy compared with 43 per cent who are more optimistic.
Fifty-three per cent disapprove of the president's handling of the economy, which is up 1 point from last month.
Although polls consistently show that voters see Romney as less likeable than Obama, the former Massachusetts governor's message that he is a job creator strikes a note with Americans tired of dire monthly unemployment statistics.
Romney "gets a gift from God on the first Friday of every month," analyst Greg Valliere, the chief political strategist at Potomac Research Group, told the Reuters Washington Summit, referring to monthly Labour Department jobs reports. The latest report said unemployment rose a tenth of a point in May to 8.2 per cent.
Romney is also looking for an electoral boost if the Supreme Court strikes down all or part of Obama's 2010 healthcare overhaul when it rules on the issue on Thursday.
"My guess is they're not sleeping very well in the White House tonight," Romney said in Sterling, Virginia, a swing state where Obama leads most polls.
"If the court upholds it ... It's still a bad policy and that means if I'm elected we're going to repeal it and replace it," he said at an electronic design and manufacturing company.
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