Politico Poll: Romney more likable

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- President Obama holds a 1 percentage point lead over Republican rival Mitt Romney, but Romney's likability numbers are rising, a Politico poll indicated.

In the Politico-George Washington University Battleground Poll of likely voters, Obama leads Romney 49 percent to 48 percent, a statistical tie and the same as the previous week's poll.

Across the 10 states identified by Politico as competitive, Romney leads Obama 50 percent to 48 percent.

A slight majority, 51 percent, said Romney is favorably viewed as a person while 44 percent said they view him unfavorably. In mid-September 49 percent of respondents viewed him unfavorably, Politico said.

On the generic congressional ballot, Democrats held a 2 percentage-point edge over Republicans, 46 percent to 44 percent.

Politico considers Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin as the 10 competitive battleground states.

Obama's job approval remained at 50 percent positive following the first presidential debate, with 48 percent disapproval.

Results are based on telephone surveys taken in the 10 battleground states of 1,000 registered likely voters Oct. 7-11. The margin of error is 3.1 percentage points.