President Barack Obama has a significant advantage in key swing states over likely Republican opponent Mitt Romney in a hypothetical general election match-up, according to a new poll.
In twelve swing states, Obama has a 51 percent to 42 percent lead over Romney, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll released Monday, a big shift from last month's figures where Obama trailed the former Massachusetts governor 46 percent to 48 percent.
Swing states have no overwhelming support for a single candidate or party, making them crucial for a candidate to snag electoral votes.
The battleground states are Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin — all of which Obama won in 2008.
Among national registered voters, 49 percent say they would vote for Obama for president, while 45 percent would choose Romney, Gallup found.
In a hypothetical match-up with Rick Santorum, a Republican opponent who continues to fight Romney for the nomination, Obama leads the former Pennsylvania senator 51 percent to 43 percent, according to the poll.
Among independent voters, Obama leads both Romney and Santorum, faring slightly better against Santorum than he does against Romney. The two Republicans fall about equally well among GOP voters, according to Gallup.
The survey was conducted by telephone interviews from March 25 to 26 with 901 national registered voters and 933 registered voters in swing states.
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