Barack Obama, 2012 Presidential Election | featured news

The improving economy is swinging the pendulum in President Barack Obama's favor in the 14 states where the presidential election will likely be decided. Recent polls show Obama gaining an edge over his likely Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, in several so-called swing states — those that are considered up for grabs.

The traditional big sources of campaign funds are not delivering for President Obama’s campaign as they did four years ago, leaving the president to rely much more on grass-roots support.

So let's get all the puns out of the way, shall we? It's the issue with legs - four of them. The doggone thing won't go away. Has the presidential race just gone to the dogs? Or are we simply in those dog days between the primary season and the start of the general election?

With the Republican presidential primary season essentially over and with the general election campaign now underway, President Barack Obama begins the race with a six-point lead over presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

In seeking support in Michigan, Obama speaks frequently about how the federal bailout of General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group led to GM's resurgence as the world's No. 1 automaker and 32,000 more auto-related jobs in the state since the companies emerged from their 2009 managed bankruptcies. Romney opposed the move, even writing a New York Times opinion piece in 2008 that carried the headline "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt."

Their battle joined, challenger Mitt Romney savaged President Barack Obama's handling of the economy on Wednesday while the commander in chief commiserated up close with victims of the recession and warned that Republicans would only make matters worse.

President Barack Obama's re-election campaign ramped up its outreach to a key sector of its 2008 voting coalition Wednesday, with the launch of Latinos for Obama and the first Spanish-language advertising.

With the inevitability of Mitt Romney's GOP presidential nomination now assured, the next question looming in this long, twisted election cycle is likely to be this: Which Mitt Romney will be running against President Barack Obama?

Don't expect President Obama and Congress to agree on much between now and Election Day. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said this morning that Obama "checked out last Labor Day" and "all he's done is campaign full time for the last six months." Obama and aides say Republicans are blocking their initiatives on jobs and other items in an effort to undercut him politically.

President Barack Obama's lead over Mitt Romney has narrowed to 4 percentage points from 11 points a month ago, now that Romney has established himself as the probable Republican presidential nominee, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday.