NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll: Romney Faces Hurdles Heading Into Conventions

At MSNBC, "NBC/WSJ poll: Heading into conventions, Obama has four-point lead" (via Memeorandum).

Here's the Wall Street Journal's report, "In Tight Race, Romney Faces Hurdles" (via Memeorandum):

Heading into next week's Republican convention, Mitt Romney remains within striking distance of President Barack Obama but faces steep challenges in inducing voters to warm up to him as a candidate, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll has found.

Mr. Romney's choice of Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate has stirred excitement within the GOP that he can defeat the president. But the poll found little evidence the pick will affect the election, beyond helping unify Mr. Romney's conservative base.

Mr. Obama's lead over Mr. Romney was 48% to 44% in the new poll, about the same as a month earlier and within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 3 points.

The survey of 1,000 registered voters, taken Aug. 16-20, showed that significant swaths of the electorate harbor reservations about the former Massachusetts governor, concerns that have budged little since the general-election fight began in earnest four months ago.

At the same time, Mr. Obama continues to receive low marks for his handling of the economy, particularly among undecided voters, who are more pessimistic than are voters overall about the country's economic future. The dour outlook among undecided voters could hamper Mr. Obama's ability to turn his current lead into a winning majority.

Mr. Romney outscored the president on leadership qualities. He polled higher when those participating were asked which man has better executive skills, ideas to improve the economy and ability to change "business as usual'' in Washington.

But since the spring, Mr. Romney has made scant headway in persuading the public that he understands the concerns of average Americans.

Barely a third of those polled gave him better marks than the president on caring about average people, dealing with the concerns of women or seniors, or being a calm and steady leader.

More than half said Mr. Romney was "out of step with most Americans' thinking," compared with 44% who said that of Mr. Obama.

"Mitt Romney heads into his convention with a lot of repair work to do with his image," said Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who conducted the poll along with Republican Bill McInturff.

The full results are here. Looks like a good sample, although it's a little heavy on Democrat respondents (34 percent). That said, the findings are in line with what we know already, and swing state polling shows Romney very competitive.

This race is too close to call.

More at Hot Air, "Bounce: New polls show Romney leading in Michigan, Wisconsin after Ryan pick."