NBC/Marist: Obama leads in Ohio

The third in a set of polls released by NBC/Marist today shows Barack Obama leading Mitt Romney in Ohio, 45%-40%.

That means that the polling group has Obama up in Ohio, Florida, and Virginia. Two of those are must-wins for Romney (Ohio and Florida), while one fits in the phonetically clunky category, almost-must-win (Virginia).

Ohio Internals:

a. Adding Rob Portman doesn't do anything for Romney, as Obama leads by 5% both with and without the homestate Senator.

b. Obama's approval with registered voters is 49%/45%, which makes it nearly identical to his rating in Virginia (+4%) and Florida (+3%).

c. There's a big favorability gap. Obama is at +6%, while Romney is at -8%.

d. Obama leads on the economy, 45%-42%, and 76% of registered voters say they'll be using that factor in making their voting decisions.

e. Obama leads on social issues (+2%), on foreign policy (+13%), and relatability (+13%).

Meanwhile, Romney leads on the deficit, 48%-38%.