Obama lead slips to three points in Ohio, lowest since October

President Obama continues to lead Republican challenger Mitt Romney in the crucial swing state of Ohio, but his three-point lead in the latest PPP survey is his lowest since last October.

Obama has seen his lead erode as white voters in the state have flocked to Romney; the presumptive Republican nominee now leads the president 49-42 percent. Most troubling for the president: much of that decline comes from white Democrats, among whom Obama has seen a 11-point drop in the past month.

There are other troubling signs for the president in the Buckeye State: just 44 percent of Ohio voters approve of the job he is doing, while more than half — 51 percent — disapprove.

But the president does continue to carry strong leads with African Americans (93 percent of whom said they would vote for the president), young voters (54 percent), and women (52 percent). If the president is able to maintain his substantial leads within that coalition, he will likely prevail in November.

Also aiding Obama: deep skepticism about Mitt Romney among the Ohio electorate. Just over a third of voters surveyed say they have a favorable opinion of the Republican nominee, while over half — 54 percent — have a negative view. Among undecideds, neither candidate tops double digits in their approval ratings, with more than six in 10 undecided voters saying they disapprove of both Romney and Obama.

The president can also take solace in numbers that show Romney's Ohio trump card — choosing Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) as his running mate — still does not seem likely to aid him much in the state. Less than two-thirds of Ohio voters have any opinion of their senator, ranking Portman among the least well-known members of the Senate. Adding Portman to the ticket did little to move the dial with voters, with Obama-Biden leading Romney-Portman 47-43 percent.

---