Obama, Romney Face Off In Battleground States As Congress Stalls On Taxes

With the general election only three months away, the two White House hopefuls this week moved their campaigns into three battleground states, putting the economy at the top of their list.

Fresh off an overseas trip marred by blunders, presumptive GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney heads to Colorado on Thursday, as President Obama makes his way around Florida and Virginia.

Obama is still holding a narrow lead over Romney in all three, indicating a close election in what are considered crucial swing states.

Polls show that Obama is leading 46.5 to 43.5 in Colorado, 47.0 to 45.6 in Florida and 46.8 to 44.0 in Virginia, according to Real Clear Politics.

While in Colorado, Romney will speak at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds before seeking out rural voters in Basalt.

And in Florida, one the states hardest hit by the housing crisis and with an unemployment rate of 8.6 -- higher than the national average -- Obama will focus on those issues.

Both men are on the offensive at the moment as Obama now has a campaign ad to air in several states, arguing that Romney pays less tax in percentage than most Americans. At the same time, Romney's new ad dug into Obama about the auto bailout, which the former Massachusetts governor says wasn't the right way to handle the industry's crisis.

The tax issue is also front and center in Congress, where warring proposals from either party are failing to advance. The Republican-controlled House cast a partisan vote Wednesday to approve an extension of Bush-era tax cuts for all income levels. A bill in the Democratic-controlled Senate instead sought to extend current rates on incomes up to $250,000, while reinstating higher rates on income exceeding that amount. Neither has a chance of passing in the other chamber.