Poll: Romney narrows gap with independents in Mich.

Mitt Romney continues to trail President Obama in Michigan, but is narrowing the gap and gaining ground among independent voters in a sign that the Republican favorite might be reversing trends favorable to the president.

Independents surveyed in the EPIC-MRA poll released Tuesday favored Romney 41 percent to 39. That's a substantial reversal for Romney, who trailed Obama 49 percent to 28 in January.

While the president continues to edge Romney overall — leading 47 percent to 43 — the numbers should be concerning to his campaign team. Not only does the survey reverse course on recent polls that have found independents breaking toward the president, but the numbers come in Michigan, where the president's auto bailout remains highly popular and the Obama reelection team has already spent money on anti-Romney campaign advertising.

Of those surveyed, 55 percent gave the president a negative approval rating on job performance, the same number who said the country was on the "wrong track."

Still, an increasing number of Michiganders see the state economy as starting to improve. Some 58 percent of those surveyed saw positive signs for the economy, an improvement from January, when just 49 percent of those polled saw reason for optimism.

There's also reason for optimism for Democrats in the state's Senate race. Incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) carries a net positive favorability rating, with 45 percent of respondents having a favorable impression and 40 percent having a negative one. Republican challenger Pete Hoekstra, meanwhile, carries the same 5-point advantage, but far less name recognition, with a 28 percent to 23 percent advantage.

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