Fresh poll gives Obama 13-point lead over

WASHINGTON

After weeks of national polls showing the U.S. presidential race as a near dead heat, a survey on June 20 raised eyebrows by giving President Barack Obama a commanding 13-point lead over his Republican rival Mitt Romney.

The Bloomberg poll showed Obama leading Romney 53 percent to 40 percent among likely voters. Most polls show the two candidates tied, or within a couple of points of one another. An average of polls compiled by RealClearPolitics.com has Obama leading Romney by 2.2 percentage points, at an average of
46.6 percent to 44.4 percent for Romney.

Bloomberg acknowledged that its survey result varied sharply from other recent polls. Obama’s campaign, which has seen Romney gain on the Democratic president in surveys and fundraising in recent weeks and could use good news, questioned the survey.

“Do I think we have a 13-point lead? No,” one campaign official told reporters at a briefing in Washington. Obama’s team anticipates the race will be close because the country is closely split between Democrats and Republicans.

The Bloomberg survey showed the public giving Obama low marks on his handling of the economy and the deficit, and six out of 10 said the country is headed down the wrong track. But only 39 percent viewed Romney favorably and 48 percent see him unfavorably, which Bloomberg said might reflect damage he suffered during his tough fight for the Republican nomination.