As the campaigns redirect their focus toward the general election, all signs indicate that the battle between Democrat incumbent President Barack Obama and the former governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, will be a close one.

One place where the race is starting to tighten up is in the money chase. With Romney near certain to be the GOP nominee, the Republican machinery is starting to go to work for him. In April, the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Romney campaign together brought in $40.1 million -- right behind the $43.6 million that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Obama campaign raised.

“We are pleased with the strong support we have received from Americans across the country who are looking for new leadership in the White House,” said Spencer Zwick, Romney’s finance chairman, on Thursday. “Along with the hard work of the Republican National Committee, we will continue to raise the funds necessary to defeat President Obama in November.”

National polls released this week also show a close race between Obama and Romney, though they often differ on who is leading.

 A You Gov/Economist poll of registered voters unveiled on Thursday finds Romney taking 46 percent while Obama garners 42 percent. Despite that, 47 percent of those surveyed think the president is going to win a second term while only 26 percent think that Romney will prevail. The poll of 1,000 registered voters was taken from May 12-14 and had a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.

A Fox News poll of registered voters has Obama in front of Romney. The poll, released late on Wednesday, has Obama with 46 percent and Romney with 39 percent. The Fox News poll shows that Democrats have fallen in line behind the president while Romney has rallied Republicans to his candidacy and has a small lead among independents. The poll also finds a gender gap, with 55 percent of women surveyed backing Obama while only 37 percent of men do. While 46 percent of the men surveyed support Romney, the poll finds only 33 percent of the women do. The poll of 913 registered voters was taken from May 13-15 and had a margin of error of +/- 3 percent.

Polls earlier in the week showed a closer race. A New York Times/CBS News poll released on Monday had Romney taking 46 percent while Obama pulled 43 percent. The poll of 562 registered voters was taken from May 11-13 and had a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.

The Washington Times and JZ Analytics released a national poll of likely voters on Sunday that shows Romney with 43.6 percent and Obama right behind him with 43.2 percent. The poll also shows that former Gov. Gary Johnson of New Mexico, the Libertarian nominee, could end up helping Obama claim a second term. When Johnson was added to the mix, Obama takes 44 percent followed by Romney with 43 percent and the Libertarian candidate garnering 2 percent. The poll of 800 likely voters was taken on May 11-12 and had a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percent.



Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.