Presidential race is essentially a dead heat according to new NYT/CBS poll

WASHINGTON -- A pair of fresh polls is showing familiar results: The presidential race is essentially a dead heat.

A New York Times/CBS poll released Thursday shows Mitt Romney’s support at 47% of registered voters, with President Obama at 46%. A Fox News poll Obama at 45% and Romney at 41%. Both results are within the polls’ margins of error and show very little movement from surveys taken earlier in the summer.

As noted before on this blog, one of the most consistent thing about the presidential showdown is its consistency. There hasn’t been a wide swing in favor of either candidate in spite of some pretty dramatic twists and turns in the news, including the Supreme Court’s healthcare ruling, a string of bad jobs reports and, most recently, loaded charges coming from both campaigns.

Still, the polls are picking up on plenty of anxiety about the economy and evidence that the president is likely to be bear the blame.

In both surveys, more people disapprove of Obama’s job performance than approve, but by a slim margin. When asked specifically on Obama handling of the most voters’ top issue – the economy – the president fared worse. The New York Times/CBS poll, conducted July 11-16, puts his approval on the economy at 39%, down from 44% in April, although the poll shows that number bouncing back and force quite a bit.

Obama also appears to have taken a hit on foreign policy. Voters in the New York Times/CBS poll were evenly split on Obama’s approval on foreign affairs, showing a drop in approval in an area where the president has enjoyed pretty strong support. The poll found voters essentially split on the question of who would better handle national security and terrorism. (Continues)