US Elections Polls 2012: Romney Leads Obama Among Voters On The Economy

The latest poll released by Gallup reveals that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney leads President Barack Obama among voters when it comes to the economy.

According to the poll, Americans believe that the economy will be better in four years under Romney (50 percent) than under Obama (48 percent). This economic advantage for the GOP candidate could prove useful during the campaign since polls have overwhelmingly found that the economy is a top priority among American voters.

The Gallup poll states that this slight advantage does not help Romney lead overall during the presidential campaign. The latest Gallup Daily tracking of registered voters' presidential vote preferences favor Obama (50 percent) to Romney (44 percent).

Similarly to previous polls, Obama is believed to be the better candidate in the handling of most other issues affecting the country, including health care, immigration, national security and Medicare. However, Romney is the chosen candidate when it comes to fixing the federal budget deficit.

President Obama has seen a shift in the polls in his direction since July and could see it remain in his favor if he wins the upcoming presidential elections.  According to the Gallup poll, Obama was rated better than Romney based on personal qualities. The poll found that Obama is believed to better understand the American public and to be a strong and decisive leader.

These advantages on most issues give Obama a clearer advantage overall despite Romney leading on the issues of the economy and the budget deficit.

Romney will have three presidential debates during October to turn the tide towards his side. A recent poll by Quinnipiac University, however, found that American likely voters believed that Obama would win the presidential debates, 54 percent to 28 percent.

Peter A. Brown, the assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said, "The best news for Romney going into the debates is that voters have very low expectations for him and therefore the bar for him to change some minds is set lower than it is for the president."

The first presidential debate will be held today, October 3, at the University of Denver, where the topic of debate will be domestic policy. The next two debates will be held October 16 at Hofstra University in New York and October 22 at Lynn University in Florida.