Latest polling highlights divisions

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HAMDEN, Conn., Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Efforts to paint Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney as an out-of-touch elitist aren't working in key swing states, a poll indicates.

Surveys conducted by Quinnipiac University in Colorado, Virginia and Wisconsin last week indicate that Romney appears to be holding his own with white working-class voters, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

U.S. President Barack Obama's goal is to keep Romney from running up huge margins with those voters who lack college degrees and have household income between $30,000 and $100,000, the newspaper said, while Romney is trying to peel off as many female voters as possible from Obama's electoral coalition.

The latest batch of Quinnipiac University/New York Times/CBS News swing state polls show Obama with a 4-percentage point lead over Romney in Virginia and a 6-point lead in Wisconsin.

Romney holds a 5-percentage point lead over the president in Colorado.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Colorado Wednesday, Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki downplayed the poll and said the president is going to some areas of the state he didn't win in 2008.

"We're going to Colorado today because we know the race is going to be close, because we know women and families in Colorado deeply care about having access to affordable healthcare ... and that's what the president is going there to talk about. Are we're not leaving any stone unturned. We're not taking any vote for granted."

Among white working-class voters, Romney leads Obama by 14 percentage points in Wisconsin, 15 percentage points in Colorado and 31 percentage points in Virginia.

Obama leads Romney among women by 8 points in Colorado, 14 points in Virginia and 23 points in Wisconsin.

The poll of 1,428 voters was conducted by phone July 31-Aug. 6. It carries a margin of error of 3 percentage points.