Three polls released on Thursday indicate the president has an uncertain path to re-election this fall, given his opponent has a significant lead in one state and is making inroads into two others.
New Jersey isn't usually thought of as a battleground state, but the latest polling shows President Barack Obama with a single-digit lead. Romney has pulled away in Missouri with a widening lead and while Obama leads in Nevada, his advantage is a narrow one.
Here's a look at the latest presidential polls in the three states.
New Jersey
Granting President Obama a wider edge among registered New Jersey voters at 51 percent to 38 percent against Romney, the Monmouth University poll shrinks to a mere 8 percent lead for the president when considering likely voters. At 50 percent to 42 percent, Obama still has a strong advantage in the Garden State, but the numbers have dropped a good deal from a month ago.
Quinnipiac noted an 11-point lead for the president at 49 percent to 38 percent on July 18, while Rutgers awarded a solid 56 percent to Obama over Romney's 33 percent on June 16.
Missouri
We Ask America checked in with Missouri voters on July 26 and found that Romney won handily in a matchup with President Obama that included Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. Romney pulled off a nine-point lead with 49.01 percent of the vote compared to Obama's 39.73 percent and Johnson's 2.12 percent support. The sole bright point for the president was the number of undecideds -- another 9.14 percent of voters hadn't made up their minds, or 16 percent of independent voters.
Nevada
In Nevada, voters still prefer President Obama over Romney, awarding him 50 percent of their vote to Romney's 45 in polling from Rasmussen Reports . This lead has contracted since the last time the pollster checked in with Nevada in May, when the poll was 52 percent in favor of Obama and 44 percent choosing Romney.
Shawn Humphrey is a former contributor to The Flint Journal and lives near Washington in Gaithersburg, Md.
