- Aug 4, 2009
- 281,114
- 140,532
- 2,300
1. Many voters think Romney doesn't care about them
"Mitt Romney started this campaign with a problem: An image as a wealthy elitist, out of touch with middle-class life," say David A. Fahrenthold and Aaron Blake at The Washington Post. And the new polls show that "Romney still hasn't overcome that first impression."
2. Obama's attack ads are working
The Obama campaign has spent millions of dollars in all three states to air brutal ads attacking Romney's tenure at private equity firm Bain Capital and his refusal to release several years of tax returns. The effects of that assault shows in the polls, with many likely voters expressing "concerns over his business background and his reluctance to release more of his tax returns,"
3. Women overwhelmingly support Obama
"The president's strength among women is the dominant dynamic fueling his lead," says Peter Brown at Quinnipiac. About 60 percent of women in Ohio and Pennsylvania support Obama, as do half of women in Florida.
4. Voters agree with Obama on raising taxes on the rich
Obama "drew broad support from voters in each state for a proposal to raise income taxes on people whose household income is more than $250,000,"
5. Swing states have relatively low unemployment rates
Obama could be benefiting from "lower swing-state unemployment rates," says Niall Stanage at The Hill. Ohio's unemployment rate of 7.3 percent is lower than the national rate of 8.2 percent, which might make the lackluster economy less of a factor in the Buckeye State. In addition, Florida's economy appears to be improving, which could also make Obama a more palatable candidate.
6. The economy is no longer a major factor
"Usually voter preferences of an incumbent candidate track closely with the trajectory of the economy," but that's not happening this year, says Josh Kraushaar at The National Journal. It's possible that voters feel neither candidate can fix the economy's problems, and are instead voting on other factors, such as likability.
http://theweek.com/article/index/231400/whats-behind-president-obamas-swing-state-surge-6-theories
"Mitt Romney started this campaign with a problem: An image as a wealthy elitist, out of touch with middle-class life," say David A. Fahrenthold and Aaron Blake at The Washington Post. And the new polls show that "Romney still hasn't overcome that first impression."
2. Obama's attack ads are working
The Obama campaign has spent millions of dollars in all three states to air brutal ads attacking Romney's tenure at private equity firm Bain Capital and his refusal to release several years of tax returns. The effects of that assault shows in the polls, with many likely voters expressing "concerns over his business background and his reluctance to release more of his tax returns,"
3. Women overwhelmingly support Obama
"The president's strength among women is the dominant dynamic fueling his lead," says Peter Brown at Quinnipiac. About 60 percent of women in Ohio and Pennsylvania support Obama, as do half of women in Florida.
4. Voters agree with Obama on raising taxes on the rich
Obama "drew broad support from voters in each state for a proposal to raise income taxes on people whose household income is more than $250,000,"
5. Swing states have relatively low unemployment rates
Obama could be benefiting from "lower swing-state unemployment rates," says Niall Stanage at The Hill. Ohio's unemployment rate of 7.3 percent is lower than the national rate of 8.2 percent, which might make the lackluster economy less of a factor in the Buckeye State. In addition, Florida's economy appears to be improving, which could also make Obama a more palatable candidate.
6. The economy is no longer a major factor
"Usually voter preferences of an incumbent candidate track closely with the trajectory of the economy," but that's not happening this year, says Josh Kraushaar at The National Journal. It's possible that voters feel neither candidate can fix the economy's problems, and are instead voting on other factors, such as likability.
http://theweek.com/article/index/231400/whats-behind-president-obamas-swing-state-surge-6-theories
