Mitt Romney is riding a national surge in the wake of his strong debate performance last week, and a new poll out late Monday shows that bump extending to the state in which he was born, Democratic-leaning Michigan. Romney and President Obama are now running neck-and-neck in the Wolverine State, with Obama leading by an insignificant, 3-point margin, 48 percent to 45 percent.
The poll was conducted by EPIC-MRA of Lansing, Mich., for the Detroit Free Press and four in-state television stations. Last month, Obama had a wider, 10-point edge in the EPIC-MRA poll, 47 percent to 37 percent; that represents a significant bump for Romney. The percentage of undecided voters decreased from 16 percentage points last month, to just 7 points in the new survey, which was conducted on the three evenings following last Wednesday's debate.
"Romney has come back like gangbusters, EPIC-MRA pollster Bernie Porn told the Free Press in a story posted on their website Monday evening.
Obama carried Michigan by a wide margin in 2008, 57 percent to 41 percent, with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., famously pulling resources from the state during the post-convention sprint. But the state voted only narrowly for Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., in 2004, and Romney hopes to be buoyed by his roots in the state; his father, George, was twice elected the state's governor.
The poll was conducted Oct. 4-6, surveying 600 likely voters. The margin of error is plus-or-minus 4 percentage points.
Michigan will award 16 electoral votes to its winner.
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