FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – President Barack Obama hasn’t been on the campaign trail since Hurricane Sandy devastated parts of New Jersey and New York. But he returns to the trail Thursday and will be in Broward County on Sunday as part of a final pre-election push.
The Sunshine State is often one of the biggest prizes on election night. Florida determined the 2000 election and in 2008 went for President Obama. But, in 2012, the race is neck-and-neck between Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
Romney was in Miami on Wednesday speaking at UM while making a tour of the state. According to Nate Silver’s 538 Blog forecast, Romney has a roughly 59 percent chance of winning Florida. Currently, the polls have Romney with a one point or less lead over Obama.
The latest polling from Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times has Obama with a one point lead in Florida. However, that’s well within the poll’s margin of error making the race in Florida a statistical tie.
Obama has made a late push in Florida after giving up a large lead to Romney after the first presidential debate. The Obama campaign has made several stops across the state, as has the Romney campaign, trying to capture the state’s 29 Electoral College votes.
With Obama currently leading in Ohio and tied with Romney in Virginia, the president can lose Florida and still win the Electoral College vote. However, if Romney loses Florida there’s virtually no path for him to win the White House.
