Obama reaches 50 percent in Florida

A new poll in Florida finds Barack Obama at 50 percent. Mitt Romney is at 46 percent, but his popularity in the state has plummeted 9 points since the Labor Day weekend.

The poll from the left-leaning Public Policy Polling shows Obama improving in the Sunshine State race by gaining 3 points this month. The last poll was conducted just after the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Romney, meanwhile, has suffered with voters. His favorability in Florida has dropped a net 9 points, in large part due to the “47 percent” remarks made in Florida to a private fundraiser in May but not widely known until this past week.

Eighty-nine percent of voters told pollsters they were aware of the remarks, in which Romney said 47 percent of Americans are victims who want the government to provide for them. Fifty percent said the comments were inappropriate, including 58 percent of independents, a key voting bloc in a swing state that’s now leaning toward Obama.

The president’s approval in the state is up a net 7 points since the Democratic National Convention, with 51 percent approving of him.

Still, with the margin of error in the polling, the Florida vote remains one of the closest in the country.