If the 2012 presidential election were held today, the results of ABC News/Washington Post poll released Tuesday suggest that President Barack Obama would be in a tight race with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who officially declared his candidacy last Thursday.
The poll found Obama and Romney tied at 47 percent support among all Americans, while Romney held a 49 percent to 46 percent lead among registered voters.
Romney's three percentage point lead among registered voters is within the poll's margin of error but still suggests that Obama could face a major challenge if Romney wins the Republican nomination.
ABC News said that the risks to Obama are underscored by its Frustration Index, which stands at 68, essentially unchanged from where it was going into the 2010 midterm elections
While the index comes in at a "relatively mild" 50 among Democrats, ABC News noted that it is at a "boiling" 80 among Republicans. The index comes in at 72 among independents.
With regard to the Republican nomination, the poll found that 21 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents support Romney, the highest level of support among potential Republican candidates.
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin came in second among Republican-leaning voters with 17 percent, while the other potential GOP candidates were all in the single digits.
At the same time, the poll found that just 47 percent of Republican-leaning voters are satisfied with the choice of candidates for the Republican nomination compared to 46 percent that are satisfied.
In contrast, 68 percent of Republican-leaning voters were satisfied with the choice of candidates for the Republican nomination in June of 2007.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.