Poll Shows Obama Benefits from Employment Gains, Uncertainty About Romney

For the first time since last Spring, President Obama is getting favorable ratings on his job performance from 50% of US voters. And the President now leads probable Republican nominee Mitt Romney by 51% to 45% among likely voters.

The poll, conducted by ABC News and the Washington Post, also shows that 44% of those polled approve of the President’s handling of the economy, Obama’s best rating in more than a year. Romney’s wealth appears to be working against him, with 52% of those polled saying the more the hear about him the less they like him. By a margin of 66% to 30%, respondents said they don’t believe that Romney is paying his fair share of taxes.

The new poll also has President Obama leading Republican contender Newt Gingrich 54%-43%, and the more that respondents learn about Gingrich, the less they like him, by a whopping 60%-19%.

The election is still a long ways off, but the poll results demonstrate the importance to President Obama of an improving economy. In that regard, he is following a well-worn path in presidential re-election hopes.