Romney says his odds of beating Obama are 'better than 50-50'

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) sees his chances of beating President Obama as "better than 50-50."

The Republican presidential candidate said Tuesday that his chances of beating Obama are "very good," something he attributes to the economy. 

"I probably do give myself better than 50-50 odds, but it's up to the American people. And I'll tell them what I believe, and if that works, great," he said on NBC's "Today" show.

"There's no sure thing in politics, but this is a time when the American people are really concerned about the scale of government — they want to cut it back — and they're concerned about the economy, long-term and short-term. And that's in my wheelhouse," he explained.

Romney is the presumptive front-runner in the Republican field, with most polls showing him at or near the top of the pack of GOP candidates for the party's presidential nomination next year.

But most polls also show Obama with a lead at this point in the race over his would-be Republican challengers, including Romney, whose margin in head-to-head match-ups against Obama is typically smaller than some of the other Republican candidates'.