Poll finds Romney with 40-point lead among active, reserve military troops

Mitt Romney has a 40-point lead over President Obama among active and reserve service members, according to a new poll from the Military Times.

The survey found Romney with a wide 66-26 lead that is similar to the advantage enjoyed by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) over Obama in the 2008 race.

For military voters, the economy was by far the most
important issue, with 41 percent of respondents saying it was most important issue for them in the upcoming race. National security came in at just 16 percent.

The Military Times poll surveyed 3,100 active duty, National
Guard and reserve troops via email who subscribe to the paper. 

{mosads}Romney’s lead is 2 points less than the advantage McCain
held, who was up 68-23 with military voters. McCain might have had a greater advantage given his military service. The senator is a war hero whose years in a Vietnam POW camp are well-known. Neither Obama nor Romney served in the military.

Both campaigns have made an active pitch to veterans,
particularly in battleground states such as Florida that have a heavy military
presence. Romney has consistently
led in polls among veterans as well.

The Military Times poll found respondents were most critical
of Obama on the defense budget, but also disapproved of his handling of the war
in Afghanistan by a 2-to-1 margin.

The troops supported his decision to keep the U.S. military
out of the Syrian conflict 44 to 38 percent, and were split the other
way, 36-47, on the withdrawal from Iraq.

Poll respondents disapproved of the repeal of the “don’t ask,
don’t tell” policy preventing gays from serving openly in the military. Fifty-three percent disapproved of the repeal compared to 34 percent who approved of it.