Poll shows Obama leading in Virginia despite mixed feelings about the health law

Virginia is viewed as one of the hot states in the presidential campaign. Also, because female voters continue to be considered an important force in the upcoming election, women's health issues are getting a lot of air time.

The Washington Post: Poll: Obama Leads Romney As Campaigns Converge On Virginia
The Democratic president has a key advantage in his bid for re-election: The coalition of Virginians that helped propel him to victory in 2008 -; young voters, suburban Washingtonians, women and African Americans -; is largely intact. Yet the survey shows that voters in the state are split on Obama's signature health-care reform law and that they remain deeply pessimistic about the way things are going in the country, creating a potential opening for Romney (Pershing and Cohen, 5/3).

The Hill: DNC Ad Keeps Pressure On Romney With Female Voters
President Obama already holds a big lead over presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney among female voters, and the Democratic National Committee is keeping the pressure on by attacking Romney for "turning back the clock on women's health" in a new Web video. The ad ties Romney to two of his high profile endorsers -; Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, a potential vice presidential candidate, and former GOP presidential nominee Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) -; and their stances on women's health issues (Easley, 5/3).

iWatch News: FACT CHECK: A New Front In The 'War On Women'
Mitt Romney's senior adviser Ed Gillespie distorted some economic facts on "Meet the Press" when he accused President Obama of creating a U.S. economy that is "hostile" to women. ... Gillespie said "there are 2.7 million more women without health insurance today than when Barack Obama took office." True, but there are also 2.1 million more women living in the U.S. The percentage of uninsured women rose from 13.3 percent in 2008 to 14.8 percent in 2010. That's lower than the percentage of uninsured men, which was 17.9 percent in 2010 (5/2). 

The New York Times: The Caucus: 'Julia' Becomes Vehicle For Obama's Messaging
Nearly 20 years ago, a multimillion-dollar ad campaign created a fictional couple -; "Harry and Louise" -; to dramatize the dangers of President Bill Clinton's health care reforms. Now, President Obama is trying to use the same Madison Avenue-style technique to demonstrate how his policies would be better for women than would Mitt Romney's (Shear, 5/3).

Politico: Conservatives Mock Obama's 'Julia'
For example, the slideshow suggests that at age 18, Julia would qualify for a college tax credit, one that would be allowed to expire under a Mitt Romney presidency. At age 65, Julia could enroll in Medicare -- something that Romney "could end as we know it." Conservatives were quick to lampoon the meme, criticizing the Obama campaign for viewing the life of a woman only in terms of her relationship with the government (Mak, 5/3).

Politico Pro: Bachmann Backs Romney, Avoids Health Care
Endorsing Gov. Mitt Romney for president, Rep. Michele Bachmann skipped one of her favorite topics: health care. During her foray into the presidential race, Bachmann constantly pounded at the health law. Or both health laws -; President Barack Obama's federal one and its precursor, then-Gov. Romney's Massachusetts one. And she helped turn it into a GOP signature issue (Smith, 5/3).