In the wake of a disastrous showing in today's national Gallup poll, President Obama can take solace in several swing state polls.
A SurveyUSA poll in the critical swing state of Ohio has Obama ahead by 3 points, 45 percent to Romney's 42 percent.
A Rasmussen poll in the same state put Obama ahead by 1 point, 49 percent to 48 percent.
Ohio is the lynchpin of both campaigns' Electoral College strategies. No Republican has ever won the White House without Ohio, and Romney's paths to victory without it are few and difficult.
Most simulations put Obama 17 electoral votes shy of winning before swing states are assigned. Just taking Ohio's 18 votes would put him over the 270 votes required to win.
Adding to Obama's margin is a Michigan poll by LE&A/Denno that shows him up by 3 points, 44 percent to 41 percent. A Rasmussen poll gives Obama a 7-point lead in Michigan. While the state is usually counted as a likely Obama take, he can't afford to miss out on its 16 electoral votes.
Romney's father was governor of Michigan, but Obama's support of the auto industry bailout won him a great deal of support in Detroit and the rest of the state.
But it's not all good news for Obama.
In North Carolina, a state that in 2008 Obama turned blue for the first time since 1976, a Rasmussen poll gives Romney a 6-point advantage, 52 percent to 46 percent.
The state has been leaning toward Romney for a while now, and he is counting on its 15 electoral votes as part of a swing state package that he needs to win nationally if he should fail in Ohio.
It is important to note that several of these state polls rely on automated polling software that dials landline phones, a technique that tends to skew results toward the Republican, so the outlook may actually be a bit better for Obama that it appears.
Whatever his appeal nationally, if Obama can hold on to enough swing states, he'll be able to buffer himself against any Romney resurgence in the popular vote.
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