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Mitt Romney gains on Obama in N.H., poll shows

Mitt Romney is gaining on President Obama in the swing state of New Hampshire, according to a WMUR poll published Tuesday.

Obama leads his Republican challenger, 49 percent to 45 percent among likely voters, but the president’s 4-point advantage is within the survey’s margin of error.

Obama’s lead is also down from 9 points in April, when the survey was taken last.

“This election looks to be as close as the 2000 and 2004 elections in New Hampshire,” said Andrew Smith, Director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, which conducted the poll. “In both of those elections, the race was won by about 1 percentage point.”

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The poll offered more good news for Romney: Among those who say they are most likely to vote, Romney leads Obama, 46 percent to 37 percent.

And the president’s approval rating among all New Hampshire adults has dipped to 47 percent, the first time it has been below 50 percent since last fall. Fifty-three percent disapprove of Obama’s handling of the economy; only 43 percent approve.

But Romney still has work to do before he can secure the Granite State’s four electoral votes, the poll indicated. Just 38 percent of New Hampshire adults view him favorably, compared to 47 who have unfavorable opinions of him.

The WMUR poll included 521 New Hampshire adults, 470 of whom are likely voters. The margin of error for all adults is 4.3 percentage points; for likely voters, it is 4.5 points. The survey was taken between July 5 and 15.


Callum Borchers can be reached at callum.borchers@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @callumborchers.