Poll: Obama leads in swing-state Nevada

President Obama leads Mitt Romney in the critical battleground state of Nevada, but the race is tightening, according to a survey from left-leaning Public Policy Polling released on Wednesday.

Obama leads Romney 48 percent to 42 in Nevada. That’s down from the same poll in March that showed Obama leading 51 to 43.

Obama is helped by a positive approval rating in Nevada, while Romney remains underwater. The president is also buoyed by his support from female voters, although Romney has clawed back into the race on the strength of male voters and independents.

Nevada is one of 12 battleground states — the others are Michigan, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Colorado, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire — that will be critical in determining the outcome of the 2012 election.

While Obama held an early lead in a handful of those states, polls show the contests in swing states have tightened significantly in recent weeks, which is more in line with the national race, where the candidates are neck-and-neck.

---