President Obama is leading rival Mitt Romney in Florida, Ohio and Virginia, according to new NBC News/Marist polls.
Although the president holds an advantage, the percentage remained below 50 percent in all three swing states and Romney continues to close the gap.
In the Ohio poll, Obama is up by six points, leading Romney 48 percent to 42 percent among registered voters. The race, however, is tighter in Florida and Virginia, where Obama had 48 percent, a four-point advantage over Romney. The poll included voters who are undecided but nevertheless leaning toward a particular candidate.
The margins are significantly smaller than the NBC News-Marist poll from March, where the president led by as much as 17 points in Virginia, though Romney was still entangled in his primary fight at the time.
Obama is also holding on to his lead among female voters, with double-digit leads in all three states. Romney, however, has a slight lead among men.
More than 50 percent of voters in each state are pessimistic about the future of the U.S., but on the economy the poll showed a draw between the two candidates.
All three polls were taken between May 17 and May 20, and had a margin of error of three percentage points. The Ohio poll was taken among 1,103 voters, the Florida poll among 1,078 voters, and the Virginia poll among 1,076 voters.
The NBC/Marist poll comes a day after a Quinnipiac poll showed Romney with a seven-point advantage over Obama in Florida.
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