Obama lead narrows in new Minnesota poll

Mitt Romney is closing in on President Obama in Minnesota, according to a new poll from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. 

Obama now leads Romney 47 percent to 44 percent, within the poll’s margin of error. The president had led by eight points in the Tribune’s poll last month. 

The results come as Minnesota, which last voted for a GOP presidential nominee four decades ago, has gotten increased attention from both campaigns.

Both Romney and Obama are airing advertisements in the state – though, as some analysts have noted, some Minnesota ad buys can also reach voters in Wisconsin, which both sides view as a swing state. 

Still, analysts give Obama the edge in Minnesota. Two other polls released recently in the state, one from Rasmussen and the other from St. Cloud University, gave the president a five- and eight-point lead, respectively.

Romney is ahead in some national tracking polls, but is also seen as having a tougher path in the electoral college. A new Washington Post poll, for instance, found Romney down in Virginia, which is seen as a crucial state for the Republican.

But the Star Tribune’s poll also suggests that, even with just nine days left until Election Day, there could be a chance for the battleground map to expand.

Vice President Joe Biden is reportedly headed to campaign soon in his birth state of Pennsylvania, which has long been seen as leaning toward Obama.

---