Presidential Race Appears to Tighten in New Mexico

Washington Wire - Could President Barack Obama be vulnerable all of a sudden in New Mexico, a state he took by a landslide in 2008 and seemed likely to hold without much strain in November? Polls going back to February in New Mexico have shown Mr. Obama up consistently by double digits over his presumptive GOP rival, Mitt Romney. But a new Public Policy Poll of the state finds the president ahead by just five percentage points, 49% to 44%. Signs of a much tighter race in the Land of Enchantment come as Mr. Obama’s approval rating has slumped there since PPP last polled the state three months ago. In May, the president had a net approval rating of nine percentage points, while now, the state is evenly split among those who approve and disapprove of his job performance. Half of those polled disapprove of Mr. Romney, while 41% approve. The poll found Mr. Obama losing ground among both Hispanics and whites. Mr. Obama gets the support of 56% of the state’s Hispanics, compared with 34% for Mr. Romney—a sizable margin but far narrower than what the president enjoys among Hispanics nationwide. Read More News New Mexico

Presidential Race Appears to Tighten in New Mexico