Tonight is big for both candidates -- but it is huge for Governor Mitt Romney. In the new poll by NBC News, the Wall Street Journal and Marist, President Obama bests Governor Romney in Ohio by eight points, and has leads within the margin of error in Florida and Virginia.
But below the topline numbers, there are more problematic signs for the Romney campaign. More than half of voters say recent news has given them a less favorable impression of Governor Romney, signaling his "47%" comments could be an inflection point in this race. When given the full description of that comment specifically, 45% of voters say they had a more negative view of Romney. Also a bad sign for Team Romney is that his favorability is still underwater -- 41% to 44%.
Can Romney change the dialogue tonight?
