President Barack Obama has a five-point lead over GOP challenger former Governor Mitt Romney in Ohio, according to a new JZ Analytics Online Poll conducted over the past weekend, even though nearly half of Ohioans agree that it is time for someone new. The interactive poll was conducted in Ohio June 19-21 among 594 likely voters and has a margin-of-sampling error of +/-4.1 percentage points.
President Obama garners a 47% job approval rating, with 50% disapproving of his performance. Forty-one percent feel the President deserves re-election, while 49% agree it's time for someone new. A majority of 53% says things are on the wrong track, and 30% say the US is headed in the right direction.
In the Congressional generic ballot, 39% say they intend to vote the Democratic candidate in their district, while 36% will vote for the Republican.
When asked who is better able to handle the crisis in the American economy, 43% feel the President is better able to handle the crisis in the American economy while 36% agree that Governor Romney can better handle that task, and 41% agree that the President best represents their personal values, while 33% agree that Governor Romney does.
When Libertarian candidate former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson is factored in, he garners 7% of the vote overall, with President Obama widening his lead over Governor Romney to 8 points - 41% to 33%.
Pollster John Zogby: "The President leads and at this point in time, Romney is not polling better. Will blue collar voters in the northern cities vote the economy or their conservative values? Will Romney's Bain experience hurt him in communities that have lost plenty of jobs over the years? But an incumbent is polling well under 50% and leading by only 5 points - that's a little wobbly for him".
*Methodology: JZ Analytics conducted an online survey from June 19-21 of 594 likely voters in the state of Ohio.