(Rasmussen Reports) – The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows Mitt Romney attracting 47% of the vote, while President Obama earns support from 43%. Five percent (5%) prefer some other candidate, and five percent (5%) are undecided.
Following Romney’s overseas trip, 44% believe the president is better able to deal with America’s allies. Another 44% say Romney is better for that task.
Republicans continue to follow the election more closely than Democrats or unaffiliated voters. This is a key indicator of potential turnout.
Matchup results are updated daily at 9:30 a.m. Eastern (sign up for free daily e-mail update). See tracking history.
New polling shows Romney leading by five in North Carolina. The Tar Heel State is rated Leans Romney in the Rasmussen Reports Electoral College Projections.
In his weekly newspaper column, Scott Rasmussen notes that “Americans have come to view the government as a burden that is weighing down the economy and the nation… Too many politicians, from both political parties, believe the government’s job is to run the country. A healthier view is to recognize that our government was designed to play a support role rather than take the lead.” In his book, In Search of Self-Governance, Scott wrote that “the American people do not want to be governed from the left, the right, or the center. They want to govern themselves.”
Forty-five percent (45%) believe Medicare is a good deal for working Americans. However, just 34% are even Somewhat Confident they will receive all promised Medicare benefits. Only 10% are Very Confident.
A president’s Job Approval rating is one of the best indicators for assessing his chances of reelection. Typically, the president’s Job Approval rating on Election Day will be close to the share of the vote he receives. Currently, 44% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the president’s job performance. That matches the president’s lowest level of approval in 2012. Approval has been this low on seven days earlier in the year.
Fifty-four percent (54%) at least somewhat disapprove (see trends).
Thirty-three percent (33%) give the president good or excellent marks for handling the economy. On national security matters, the president gets positive reviews from 45% and negatives from 35%.
Fifty-one percent (51%) consider Romney’s views to be in the mainstream while 37% say they’re extreme. Voters are more evenly divided on the president. Forty-six percent (46%) say Election 2012 offers a choice between the lesser of two evils.
Missouri’s Democratic U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill still trails in her bid for re-election. The Rasmussen Reports Senate Balance of Power ratings suggest that the Republicans are likely to end up with 48 Senate seats while the Democrats are likely to have 47. Five races are pure Toss-Ups.
The number of people who consider themselves Republicans slipped in July. The GOP partisan identification advantage is now the smallest it’s been in 2012.
Intensity of support or opposition can have an impact on campaigns. Currently, 22% of the nation’s voters Strongly Approve of the way Obama is performing as president. Forty-five percent (45%) Strongly Disapprove, giving him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -23 (see trends). This is the president’s lowest Approval Index rating of 2012.
During midterm elections, intensity of support can have a tremendous impact on turnout. That was demonstrated in 2010 when Republicans and unaffiliated voters turned out in large numbers to express opposition to the Obama administration’s policies. However, in presidential election years, there is a smaller impact on turnout.
To get a sense of longer-term Job Approval trends for the president, Rasmussen Reports also compiles our tracking data on a full month-by-month basis.
