Polls offer windows into campaign challenges, dynamics

A new round of polls indicates that, with seven weeks left of campaigning, President Barack Obama appears to be edging out GOP candidate Mitt Romney. However, the findings also highlight the political forces that could work for and against each candidate.

The New York Times: Wisconsin Offers Window Into Challenges Confronting Romney
Rob Jankowski, an independent voter who supported Mr. Obama four years ago but has been disappointed by his economic leadership and disapproves of his health care plan, is among the 3 percent of voters in the survey who say they are still undecided. He said he did not feel loyalty to Mr. Obama simply because he supported him last time, but he said Mr. Romney had not made his case. … The New York Times, in collaboration with Quinnipiac and CBS News, is tracking the presidential race with recurring polls in six states (Zeleny and Connelly, 9/19).

The Washington Post: Obama Up 8 Points Over Romney In Virginia
With just seven weeks of campaigning left before the November election, President Obama holds a clear lead over Mitt Romney in Virginia, buoyed by growing optimism about the state of the country and fueled by a big gender gap working in his favor, according to a new Washington Post poll (Vozzella, Balz and Cohen, 9/18).

In other presidential campaign news -

The Associated Press: Celebrities To Attend AARP Conference in N.O.
More than a dozen celebrities are participating in talks and activities for aging Americans at the national conference of the AARP this week in New Orleans. It will also be a presidential campaign stop for Republican Mitt Romney's running mate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan. President Barack Obama is expected to address attendees via satellite. Both are speaking Friday about Social Security, Medicare, jobs and finances (9/18).