While the results of a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll show that President Barack Obama has jumped into the lead over Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in a potential general election matchup, the results showed that voters are more divided over the key issue of the economy.
The poll showed that Obama has a 51 percent to 44 percent lead over Romney among registered voters, benefiting from strong support among women.
The latest results compare to a poll conducted in March that showed Romney with a 49 percent to 47 percent lead over Obama.
As mentioned above, however, the results of the latest poll found that voters are split regarding which candidate would do a better job handling the economy.
Forty-seven percent said they trust Romney to do a better job headline the economy, while 43 percent said Obama would do a better job. Regarding who would do a better job creating jobs, 46 percent named Obama and 43 percent named Romney.
Both Romney's 4-point lead on handling the economy and Obama's 3-point lead on creating jobs are within the poll's margin of error.
However, in a potentially troubling sign for Obama, the poll showed that 62 percent disapprove of the president's handling of gas prices, while just 28 percent approve.
The results suggest that a continued increase in gas prices could have a negative impact on Obama's re-election prospects.
The survey of 1,003 adults was conducted April 5th through 8th and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.