Wisconsin: Obama 49%, Romney 46%

President Obama has regained a slight edge over Mitt Romney in Wisconsin’s presidential race.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the Badger State finds Obama with 49% support to Romney’s 46%. Two percent (2%) prefer some other candidate, while another two percent (2%) are undecided.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

In mid-August, following Romney’s selection of hometown Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate, it was Romney 48%, Obama 47%.  Prior to that survey in late July, Obama led Romney 49% to 46%. The president has earned 45% to 52% of the vote in surveys since October of last year, while Romney has picked up 41% to 48% of the vote in that same time period.

Wisconsin remains one of eight Toss-Up states in the Rasmussen Reports Electoral College Projections The candidates remain virtually tied in the daily Presidential Tracking Poll.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will be Scott Rasmussen’s first guest this weekend on his nationally syndicated television show What America Thinks. Walker will address his polarized polling numbers and more. A longer interview also will be released online early next week. This weekend’s show, available on more than 60 stations nationwide, will include a look at whether Wisconsin is really in play for Election 2012. Joining Scott for that discussion will be advocate Scott Ross of One Wisconsin Now and conservative strategist Deb Jordahl whose clients include the governor. 

When it comes to which candidate Wisconsin voters trust more on the key issues this election, the president has a clear advantage over Romney on health care, national security, taxes and energy policy. Obama also holds a 49% to 45% lead over Romney in voter trust when it comes to handling the economy, the issue voters consider most important this campaign season. Nationally, Romney leads the president by seven points on the issue of the economy, and the two are much closer on the other issues.

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This Wisconsin survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted on September 17, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Forty-six percent (46%) of Wisconsin voters rate their personal finances as good or excellent, while 13% give their finances a poor rating.  Twenty-nine percent (29%) feel their personal finances are getting better these days, but 34% say they’re getting worse.

The president is heavily favored among voters who feel their finances are in good or excellent shape.  Romney holds a slight advantage among those who give their finances poor marks.

Obama beat Senator John McCain in Wisconsin in 2008 with 56% of the vote. Fifty-one percent (51%) of voters in the state now at least somewhat approve of the job Obama is doing as president, while 49% disapprove.  This includes Strong Approval from 33% and Strong Disapproval from 42%.  These findings mirror the president's job approval ratings nationally.

Romney is viewed favorably by 48% of Wisconsin voters, down from 54% in August, and unfavorably by 51%, up from 44% in the previous survey.  The latest findings include Very Favorable reviews from 29% and Very Unfavorable ones from 38%. 

In Wisconsin, most senior citizens support Romney; middle-aged voters in the state are evenly divided, while younger voters favor Obama.  The former Massachusetts governor is ahead among male voters 49% to 45% but trails the president among female voters 53% to 44%.

Among voters not affiliated with either major political party, it’s Obama 44%, Romney 41%. 

As for the other Toss-Up states, Obama leads by a point in Virginia and Ohio. In Florida, the president is up two. Romney has edged back into the lead in Missouri, is up six in North Carolina, leads by two in Colorado and three in New Hampshire.

Romney also leads in Indiana, Montana and North Dakota. Obama is ahead in Connecticut, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico and Pennsylvania.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

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