The Midwest and the West are the most competitive regions of the United States for the upcoming presidential election between President Barack Obama and presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney, according to a Wednesday Gallup Poll.
While Romney leads by 10 percentage points in the South, 51 percent to 41 percent, and Obama holds a 16-point advantage in the East, 53 percent to 37 percent, the contest is much tighter in the Midwest and the West.
The Gallup survey shows that Obama leads Romney by just 2 percentage points in the West and Midwest, 47 percent to 45 percent and 46 percent to 44 percent, respectively.
These regional differences, the polling firm argues, are driven by the racial makeup of each region. "In each region, nonwhites show an overwhelming preference for Obama. Thus, the vote preferences of whites largely determine each region's overall preference," Gallup says.
The Gallup Poll was conducted June 1-July 19, with a sample of 17,046 voters and a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 1 percentage point.
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