On the day of the first presidential debate, a newly released poll shows President Barack Obama with a slim two percentage point lead over GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney among likely voters in Virginia.
The NBC News/WSJ/Marist poll released Wednesday shows Obama and Vice President Joe Biden leading Romney and Rep. Paul Ryan, 48-46 percent among likely voters in Virginia, including those who are undecided yet leaning toward a candidate and those who voted by absentee ballot.
One percent is backing another candidate while 5 percent is undecided, per the survey.
Obama has maintained a slim but steady edge over Romney for months. A September Quinnipiac University-New York Times-CBS News poll showing Obama slightly ahead of Romney, by 4 percentage points.
“Not only do Obama and Romney have similar support among likely voters in the state, their backers are equally enthusiastic and committed to their choice,” Lee M. Miringoff, director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said about the latest poll.
Independent voters are backing Romney 45-44 percent over Obama, and Romney leads among men who are likely to vote 48-45 percent. The president posts an eight-point lead over Romney among women who are likely to vote, 52-44 percent.
The poll surveyed 1,415 adults Sept. 30- Oct. 1. Its margin of error is +/- 3.1 percentage points.
