Exit poll: Obama bests Romney in Wisconsin by 12 points

Source: msnbc.com

With a third wave of exit poll data in, Wisconsin recall voters said they would pick President Obama over Republican Mitt Romney by a 54-42 percent margin in Wisconsin.

Caution, though, on the results -- 10 to 12 percent of the electorate voted absentee, and absentees are not included in the exit poll.

Exit polls show a tight race between incumbent Gov. Scott Walker (R) and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. If Walker is able to stave off the challenge and keeps his job, the Obama-Romney head-to-head numbers will throw cold water on analyses claiming the recall is a harbinger for this fall's presidential election.

Just 20 percent of Wisconsin voters said their personal financial situation had gotten better in the past two years; 45 percent said it was the same; 35 percent said it had gotten worse.

Despite that, voters didn't appear to blame President Obama. By a 45-36 percent margin, Wisconsin voters thought Obama would do a better job improving the economy than Romney, with 18 percent saying neither of them.

And by a 48-35 percent margin, voters said Obama would do a better job helping the middle class.


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