Obama, Romney race close in 2 regions

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PRINCETON, N.J., July 11 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama leads Mitt Romney in the Eastern United States while Romney leads the president in the South, Gallup daily tracking data shows.

The two candidates are nearly evenly matched in the Midwest and the West, tracking data from June 1-July 9 indicates.

In the East, 53 percent of voters said they would vote for Obama to 37 percent who said they'd vote for Romney.

In the South, 51 percent said they wold vote for Romney, compared with 41 percent who said they'd vote for Obama.

Obama led Romney by 2 percentage points in the Midwest and the West. In the Midwest, 46 percent of voters backed Obama to 44 percent who favored Romney, and in the West, 47 percent of voters said they backed Obama, 45 percent Romney.

Nationwide, 46 percent said they would vote for Obama if the election were held today and 45 percent, for Romney.

Among non-white voters, Obama led 81 percent-11 percent in the East, 80 percent-11 percent in the Midwest, 77 percent-14 percent in the South and 66 percent-26 percent in the West.

Among white voters, Obama led 46 percent-45 percent in the East while Romney led in the Midwest, 49 percent-41 percent; the South, 65 percent-28 percent; and the West, 51 percent-41 percent.

Results are based on telephone interviews conducted as part of Gallup Daily tracking June 1-July 9 with a random sample of 17,046 voters. The margin of error is 1 percentage point.