Rasmussen: Romney has slight edge in swing state Ohio

Mitt Romney has nosed ahead of President Obama in the critical battleground state of Ohio, according to a survey released Thursday from conservative polling outlet Rasmussen.

Romney leads with 48 percent while Obama takes 46. That’s within the poll’s 4.5 percent margin of error.

Most polls show Obama with a small lead in the Buckeye State. The president is up by 5 percent according to the Real Clear Politics average of polls.

Ohio is one of 12 key swing states that will be central in determining the outcome of the 2012 election. Obama won Ohio by 5 percent in 2008, but the state helped catapult George W. Bush to victories in 2000 and 2004.

Ohio’s 18 Electoral College votes are the third most among the battleground states, most of which presently show the two candidates in a dead heat.

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