Poll: Obama holds narrow 1-point lead in Virginia

By Meghashyam Mali - 11/05/12 08:45 AM ET

A new poll finds that the swing state of Virginia remains a toss-up, with President Obama and GOP nominee Mitt Romney locked in a virtual tie.

Obama holds a 48 percent to 47 edge among likely voters, a lead within the poll’s 3-point margin of error, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll released Sunday. Romney, though, leads with independents by 5 points.

Obama’s 1-point edge marks a turn from the same poll taken three weeks ago, when Romney held a 48 to 47 percent lead.

But few voters now remain undecided, with 89 percent saying they strongly support their candidate and 9 percent reporting they somewhat support their candidate. One percent say they could vote differently, and 1 percent say they are unsure.

Voters are split on the president’s job performance, with 48 percent approving and 48 disapproving, and are concerned about the nation’s direction. Forty-nine percent say the country is on the wrong track, compared to 47 percent who say it's on the right track.

Both candidates, though, hold positive approval ratings, with the president at 51 to 45 percent favorable and Romney at 50 to 45 percent favorable.

More voters still believe the nation is headed in the wrong direction, at 49 percent, to 46 percent who say the nation's on the right track, but that also shows a boost for the president from early October, when voters said the country was on the wrong track with a 53 to 43 percent split.

Voters, though, continue to give Romney higher marks on the economy, with 48 percent saying the former Massachusetts governor would do a better job to 46 percent who say the same for Obama.

Obama, though, holds the edge on foreign policy, with a 50 to 44 percent split over Romney.

The poll also finds voters approved of Obama’s handling of Hurricane Sandy, which battered the Eastern Seaboard last week. Seventy-one percent approved of Obama’s response to the natural disaster, with 15 percent disapproving.

Other Virginia polls also show the president with a slight edge in the swing-state, with Public Policy Polling (PPP) putting Obama up 4 percent, and WeAskAmerica giving him a narrower 1-point advantage.

Romney will visit Virginia on Monday, the last full day of campaigning.

The poll also finds former Gov. Tim Kaine edging former GOP Sen. George Allen in the race for the Senate, with 49 percent support to 46, a 2-point bump for Kaine since the last poll.

The NBC/WSJ/Marist poll was conducted from Nov. 1-2 and has a 2-point margin of error.