Polls

Swing state polls: Obama leads in Nev., Romney ahead in Va.

by Jonathan Easley - 10/19/12 3:03 PM ET

Two new polls released Friday show President Obama and Mitt Romney splitting support in the critical battleground states of Nevada and Virginia.

In Nevada, Obama takes 51 percent support compared to Romney’s 43 percent, for a healthy 8-point lead, according to a survey from the Mellman Group.

{mosads}Obama is buoyed in Nevada by independents, women and Hispanics, who favor the president by 22, 43 and 22 points, respectively.

Still, the poll could be an outlier. According to the RealClearPolitics average of polls, Obama has a slim 3-percentage-point lead over Romney in Nevada.

Obama won Nevada by a decisive margin in 2008, but the state is far from a Democratic stronghold. President Bush won the state in 2000 and 2004.

In Virginia, a Rasmussen poll released Friday shows Romney with 50 percent support and Obama with 47 percent.

Since Romney spiked in the polls following his victory in the first presidential debate, Virginia has joined North Carolina and Florida, on the list of states Republicans have become more confident about capturing on Election Day.

Virginia was solidly red prior to Obama’s 7-percentage-point victory in 2008.

The Nevada poll of 600 registered voters has a 4-point margin of error.