Obama Loses Ground in Presidential Race: Poll

The deadlock over the U.S. debt ceiling is proving quite detrimental to President Barack Obama, especially among the independent voters.

The latest poll conducted by Pew Research Centre for the People & the Press, from July 20-24 among 1,501 adults and 1,205 registered voters, shows that 41 percent of registered voters would like to see Obama reelected, while 40 percent would prefer to see a generic Republican candidate. In May, the poll revealed that Obama had an 11 point lead over a Republican candidate. However the ongoing stalemate over the debt ceiling, unemployment and dissatisfaction with the way the economy is being handled have brought those 11 points down to one.

One of the reasons for this marked shift is the declining support for Obama among independent voters. The poll found that 31 percent of independent voters want to see Obama reelected, down from 42 percent in May. Results of the poll clearly show that Obama had a seven point lead among these voters in May, but the current political climate favors any Republican candidate an eight point lead.

However, the Republican nomination race remains undecided with mixed voter results. Mitt Romney continues to lead the GOP contender race with 21 percent Republican voters wanting him to win the nomination.

Texas governor Rick Perry also seems to be grabbing the attention of the Republicans. Among Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters who say they have given a lot of thought to the candidates, 22 percent support Perry and 15 percent support Romney, states the poll. Perry has not yet announced his candidacy.