Polls indicate a four-point boost for Obama following the Democratic National Convention

Ian Benson

Viewpoints Editor

According to a new poll from CNN/ORC International, President Obama has 52 percent of the vote and Gov. Mitt Romney has 46 percent. Prior to the Democratic National Convention, the polls indicated the two were tied at 48 percent. This post-convention boost is most likely temporary as poll numbers usually inflate briefly following the parties’ respective conventions. However, Obama’s four-point boost after the Charlotte convention is significantly larger than Romney’s one point boost following the RNC in Tampa.

The poll also indicated a shift in popular opinion of the candidates, with 45 percent of voters saying they felt the President has a clear plan for the future, compared to the 39 percent who felt that way before the convention. When asked the same question about Romney, 39 percent of those surveyed answered “yes.” Previously, 45 percent answered affirmatively.

For the first time in months, the Obama campaign raised more funds than the Romney campaign. Romney has been expected by experts to outraise and outspend Obama in election efforts, averaging $100 million in funds raised over the summer, with Obama averaging a little over $75 million during that period. Thus, the $114 million raised by the Obama campaign comes as a surprise, narrowly besting Romney’s $111 million.

Romney is expected to rely heavily on his cash advantage in the final two months of the campaign, most likely for a barrage of television advertisements targeting the president.

Vice President Biden and President Clinton will make frequent trips to Ohio in the closing months of the election in an attempt to sway undecided voters and energize the base in the battleground state. Over the weekend, Biden toured the southern part of the state, with plans for him to continue touring the state in the coming months.

Former Gov. Ted Strickland introduced him at each of the four speeches and explained that Obama doesn’t need to win the south of the state. He merely needs to increase the voting percentage for Obama from the 39 percent it was in 2008, when he won the state.