Poll: Romney tied with Obama in Colorado

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is tied with President Obama in Colorado, a swing state where the president and his allies have displayed some confidence in recent weeks.

The survey, from conservative pollster Rasmussen Reports, shows Obama and Romney each earning 47 percent of likely voters. That's the first poll the president hasn't led since the last Rasmussen poll in early June. Three percent of those surveyed support a third party candidate, while 2 percent are undecided.

That could be troubling news for the president, who has never trailed Romney in a public poll released this year. Conservative political commentator Dick Morris said Monday that internal polls he had seen showed Romney with a lead in the state.

More likely, however, the poll is simply evidence of a tight race in the crucial swing state, coupled with Rasmussen's conservative lean. The survey contacted 500 likely voters in the state and carried a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

Still, the president is working hard to shore up support there. Obama is scheduled to speak at a college campus in downtown Denver on Wednesday, where former Georgetown Law Student Sandra Fluke — who famously testified about access to birth control and drew the attention of conservative talk show hosts including Rush Limbaugh — is set to introduce him. The president will also stop in Grand Junction, Pueblo and Colorado Springs during his swing through the state.

The Romney campaign has also been aggressive in the state, with Romney visiting last week and Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), considered a top vice presidential contender, campaigning there Wednesday to counterbalance the president.

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