President Obama and presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney are locked in a dead heat, with voters showing doubts either can fix the struggling economy, a new national poll finds.
Obama and Romney both receive 46 percent support from registered voters, according to a Fox News poll released on Wednesday.
But on what is likely to be the central issue of the 2012 race, a majority of voters say neither candidate has a “clear plan for fixing the economy.”
Sixty-one percent of voters surveyed said Obama did not have a plan to aid the economy, with 36 percent expressing confidence in his policies.
Fifty-eight percent did not believe Romney had solutions for the nation’s economic woes, with 31 percent expressing support.
Among independent voters, 68 percent said Obama did not have a plan for the economy, with 58 percent disapproving of Romney’s policies.
Overall, the poll shows a slight uptick for Obama, who trailed Romney by two points among likely voters, at 46 percent to 44, two weeks ago.
Obama maintains an edge among female voters with 47 percent backing to Romney’s 42. Romney leads among men, however, with 49 percent to 45 for the president.
The poll’s results show Romney padding a lead among independent voters with a 13-point edge, topping his 6-point edge two weeks ago.
Obama, though, maintains a net positive favorability, with 50 percent of those surveyed having a favorable view of the president to 48 percent negative. Romney, after a bruising primary battle, is viewed unfavorably by 45 percent, to 42 percent favorable.
The poll’s findings come as both campaigns have turned their attention to the general-election fight.
On Wednesday, Obama’s campaign team announced that he would launch his 2012 campaign by holding official rallies in two crucial swing states: Ohio and Virginia.
The president and first lady will travel to Columbus, Ohio, and Richmond, Va., on May 5.
Romney swept five primaries on Tuesday to solidify his position as the party’s de facto nominee. In a victory speech he launched his general-election campaign, telling supporters that “a better America begins tonight.”
The Fox News poll was conducted from April 22 to 24 and has a 3 percent margin of error.
{The Hill/Matzav.com Newscenter}
