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*\tCOLORADO: Romney 50 - Obama 45 *\tVIRGINIA: Obama 49 - Romney 45 *\tWISCONSIN: Obama 51 - Romney 45 President Barack Obama edges Gov. Mitt Romney by 6 percentage points among Wisconsin likely voters, and by 4 points in Virginia, while Romney is up by 5 points in Colorado, according to a Quinnipiac University/New York Times/CBS News Swing State Poll released today. Voters in these swing states generally oppose tougher gun laws and say stricter laws would not prevent mass shootings such as the Aurora massacre, but by wide margins they favor banning the sale of high-capacity magazines for guns. Matching Obama against Romney in each of these key states shows: *\tColorado:\t Romney at 50 percent to Obama's 45 percent; *\tVirginia: \t Obama at 49 percent to Romney's 45 percent; *\tWisconsin:\t Obama edges Romney 51 - 45 percent. The gender gap continues to dominate the presidential race as Obama leads among women 51 - 43 percent in Colorado, 54 - 40 percent in Virginia and 59 - 36 percent in Wisconsin, the survey by Quinnipiac/The Times/CBS finds. Romney leads among men 56 - 39 percent in Colorado, 50 - 45 percent in Virginia and 53 - 43 percent in Wisconsin. \"There is good reason why Virginia, Colorado and Wisconsin are considered swing states - and this data shows how close they are,\" said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. \"Most voters say they have made up their minds. Nine out of 10 in each state say they are sure they will vote for the candidate they favor, which means that the pool of those who say they can be persuaded is pretty small. \"History tells us that many voters who say they are sure will change their mind in the next 90 days,\" Brown added. \"A much larger share of Obama supporters describe themselves as strong supporters of the president, while more Romney voters say their decision is based on dislike of the president. \"Voters in Virginia and Wisconsin see the two candidates as roughly even on the question of who can best fix the economy, but Romney is ahead 10 points in Colorado. There is a difference in how voters think the election returns will affect their wallets. In Colorado and Wisconsin, more voters think Gov. Mitt Romney's policies rather than President Barack Obama's policies will help them personally. At the same time, more voters in each state think Obama's policies will hurt them more than Romney's policies. \"On gun control, voters in each state support a ban on high-volume ammunition magazines, but, except for Virginia, a plurality in each state says there is no need to change their gun laws. Most telling is the strong majority view that stricter gun control is unlikely to be effective in preventing events like the movie theater shooting in Aurora Colorado last month.\" Colorado Each candidate gets more than 90 percent of likely voters in their own party. Colorado's independent voters split with 47 percent for Romney and 45 percent for Obama. Among Romney voters, 51 percent strongly favor him while 27 percent back him with reservations and 21 percent are mostly voting against Obama. Among Obama backers, 62 percent strongly favor him while 30 percent have reservations and 7 percent dislike Romney. The economy is the most important presidential campaign issue for 48 percent of voters, with 19 percent who list health care and 11 percent who list the budget deficit. Romney would do a better job on the economy, Colorado voters say 51 - 41 percent. Obama would be better on health care, 47 percent of voters say, while 45 percent pick Romney. Obama's policies would hurt their personal financial situation, 43 percent of voters say, while 22 percent say they would help and 33 percent say they would make no difference. Romney's policies would help them, 34 percent of voters say while 30 percent say they would hurt and 32 percent say they would make no difference. Presidential candidates should release several years of tax returns, 48 percent of voters say; 21 percent want to see one or two years of returns and 26 percent say keep returns private. Colorado's gun laws should be kept the same, 50 percent of voters say, while 38 percent want tougher laws and 8 percent want less strict gun laws. Tougher gun laws would not be an effective way to curb violent acts such as the Aurora shooting, voters say 66 - 30 percent. Voters favor 58 - 35 percent, however, a nationwide ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines. Colorado voters approve 66 - 18 percent of the job Gov. John Hickenlooper is doing. \"If President Obama could run within 10 points of Gov. John Hickenlooper, he would win Colorado. At this point the president is significantly less popular than the governor, who has one of the highest approval ratings of the governors in the nine states surveyed by Quinnipiac University,\" Brown said. Virginia Virginia's independent likely voters back Romney 50 - 43 percent. While 40 percent of Romney voters strongly favor him, 36 percent like him with reservations and 22 percent are voting mainly against Obama. Obama is strongly favored by 68 percent of his supporters, while 25 percent have reservations and 7 percent don't like Romney. The economy is the biggest campaign issue, 49 percent of voters say, while 19 percent list health care and 10 percent point to the budget deficit. Romney would do a better job on the economy, 47 percent of voters say, while 45 percent pick Obama. The president would do a better job on health care, voters say 49 - 42 percent. Obama's policies would hurt rather than help their personal finances, Virginia voters say 39 - 26 percent, while 34 percent say they would make no difference. Romney's policies would hurt more than help, voters say 30 - 28 percent, while 37 percent see no difference. Presidential candidates should release several years of tax returns, 52 percent of voters say; 19 percent want to see one or two years of returns and 23 percent say keep returns private. Virginia voters are divided 44 - 44 percent on whether they want tougher gun laws or the current laws, while 9 percent want less strict laws. Tougher gun laws would not prevent Aurora- type violence, voters say 60 - 37 percent. But Virginia voters favor 52 - 42 percent a nationwide ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines. Virginia voters approve 52 - 29 percent of the job Gov. Bob McDonnell is doing. The U.S. Senate race is too close to call with 48 percent for Democrat Tim Kaine and 46 percent for Republican George Allen. \"Virginia's U.S. Senate has been a dead heat since it began,\" said Brown. \"It's pretty clear that whether George Allen or Tim Kaine becomes the Old Dominion's next senator, it almost certainly will be by a razor-thin margin.\" Wisconsin Wisconsin's independent likely voters are divided with 48 percent for Obama and 47 percent for Romney. Among Obama voters, 64 percent strongly favor him, while 30 percent have reservations and 6 percent say they are voting against Romney. Romney wins strong support from 42 percent of his backers, while 35 percent have reservations and 21 percent are against Obama. The economy is the biggest campaign issue for 47 percent of Wisconsin voters, while 24 percent list health care and 13 percent cite the deficit. Obama would do a better job on the economy, 47 percent of voters say, while 46 percent say Romney. The president would do a better job on health care, voters say 49 - 43 percent. Obama's policies would hurt rather than help their personal finances, voters say 35 - 22 percent, with 41 percent who see no difference. Romney would hurt more than help, voters say 31 - 28 percent, with 37 percent who see no difference. Candidates should release several years of tax returns, 52 percent of voters say, while 18 percent want to see one or two years of returns and 26 percent say keep returns private. Keep Wisconsin's gun laws the same, 48 percent of voters say, while 43 percent want tougher laws and 6 percent want less strict laws. Tougher gun laws would not help prevent gun violence such as the Aurora shootings, voters say 57 - 40 percent. Wisconsin voters favor 57 - 37 percent, however, a nationwide ban on the sale of high capacity magazines. Wisconsin voters approve 52 - 44 percent of the job Gov. Scott Walker is doing. U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin, is locked in a tight race with each of three leading Republican contenders: *\tBaldwin and former Gov. Tommy Thompson tied at 47 - 47 percent; *\tBaldwin at 47 percent to businessman Eric Hovde's 43 percent; *\tBaldwin at 48 percent for former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann's 45 percent. \"No matter who wins next week's GOP senate primary the fall campaign against U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin looks like it will be a nail-biter,\" Brown said. From July 31 - August 6, Quinnipiac University, in cooperation with The New York Times and CBS News, surveyed: *\t1,463 Colorado likely voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percent; *\t1,412 Virginia likely voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percent; *\t1,428 Wisconsin likely voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percent. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones. For individual statewide crosstabs call (203) 582-5201 or click: Crosstabs by State "}
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Quinnipiac University/New York Times/CBS News Swing State Poll Finds