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By Anjeanette Damon (contact) 
Published Thursday, May 31, 2012 | 7:42 a.m.
Updated Thursday, May 31, 2012 | 11:15 a.m.
A new poll shows the Nevada electorate to be almost evenly divided between the two major candidates in both the presidential and U.S. Senate race.
In the survey of 1,040, registered voters, 46 percent said they support President Barack Obama, while 44 percent support his Republican opponent Mitt Romney. Only 10 percent of voters remain undecided in this key battleground state, according to the NBC/Marist poll released today.
The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3 percent
The numbers are similar in the U.S. Senate race, with 44 percent supporting Republican Sen. Dean Heller and 41 percent supporting his Democratic opponent. More voters are undecided in the Senate race, with 15 percent still trying to make up their minds.
In a state battered more harshly than any other by the recession and housing crisis, the vast majority of Nevada voters—78 percent—are most concerned with the economy, according to the poll.
And despite the headline-grabbing nature of the issue, few voters said gay marriage will help determine their vote.
Voters also are split on which candidate they believe is better positioned to handle the economy. An even 44 percent named Obama as the best candidate on economic issues. The same percentage named Romney.
By a 10 percent margin, more voters trust Obama with foreign policy than Romney. But they trust the Republican to better handle national debt.
Despite the state’s economic hardship, most voters see things getting better or staying about the same in the next year and believe that Obama inherited the nation’s economic problems rather than created them.
Nevada is one of nine battleground states expected to help determine the presidency this year. Both candidates have spent time campaigning in the state. Romney headlined a campaign rally on Tuesday and raised nearly $2 million from the Strip at a fundraiser hosted by Donald Trump.
Obama is expected to visit Las Vegas next Thursday.
UPDATE: Republicans are pushing back on the validity of the poll, saying it appears to over sample Clark County voters and Hispanic voters, both of which lean Democrat. Democrats, however, counter the poll under samples women and registered Democrats.
The only numbers that matter are the ones tallied after the election.
I remember so called "Polls" stating that Sharron Angle was going to beat Mr. Reid also. ;-)
Being Independent I don't have a horse in this race. However, I do wonder given the Republicans current plans for the economy why people expect things to change if they elect Romney? I watch and read the news everyday and I don't see it!
Their only proposals are to create more pollution via de-regulation primarily on environmental rules and giving big tax breaks to business and wealthy people and more recently raising taxes in the poor and middle class. None of these have been proven to create jobs in the past. IN the near term they will also create higher unemployment by reducing government and spending while industry is not increasing employment enough to offset the layoffs.
So whats to get excited about except maybe another couple of Middle East wars they already announced intentions to step into?
I really don't think there is a lot either party can do about the current economic crisis and thats probably why the people are almost evenly divided on the candidates. It won't matter which one you elect ,for most of us it will be the same just different. Except for maybe the increased sales of water filters and asthma medication if the R's get in.
I'm feeling more inclined to stay the course than to try old policies that have little chance of doing anything but more damage.
Oh and whats with the birth certificate lunacy again? This further convinces me that they really have nothing of substance to offer and just want to sit in the chair!
I think Romney will edge out Obama in the Presidential race. The economy is in bad shape and business people are reluctant to expand their businesses due to all this uncertainty. Obama can visit Las Vegas a hundred times but this is not going to change anything. His constant trips disrupt the highways and we are paying a fortune for all these supposed "official" business trips on Air Force One. Obama can't blame George Bush or anyone else. No jobs= no Obama reelection. Heller will beat Berkley since she will be associated with Obama. Being a Democrat today is not good news.