Romney Closing Gap On Obama In Virginia, According To Poll

A new poll out today shows Democratic President Barack Obama leading Republican candidate Mitt Romney in Virginia, but Romney is closing the gap.

The poll, released today by Old Dominion University, shows President Obama leading Gov. Romney by 7 points. That gap is above the margin of error, which is plus or minus 3.4 percent. But it's not necessarily good news for Democrats.

"After the first debate, there was a major dropoff in the portion of people who thought that the country was better off today than it was when the president took office," says professor Jesse Richman.

The survey, which was conducted by the university's Social Science Research Center, found that Mr. Obama was favored by 50 percent and opponent Romney by 43 percent, while other candidates had a combined total of 3 percent. The poll was conducted in late September and early October, when Richman says the dynamics of the race changed dramatically.

"What we see is overall the president in the lead, but that support dropping after the debate with the candidates polling pretty even," he says.

The poll also shows Democratic Senate candidate Tim Kaine leading Republican candidate George Allen by 7 points.