Romney\'s unfavorability rating increasing among US voters

Less than three months before US Election Day, a new poll released Wednesday indicates the Republican candidate Mitt Romney is still struggling with favorability ratings. According to the ABC News/Washington Post survey, 49% of Americans have an unfavorable view of the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, while 40% see him in a favorable light. The poll also shows that Romney's unfavorability rating has increased since May, when 45% had a negative view of the Republican candidate. According to the poll's release, Romney is "laboring under the lowest personal popularity ratings for a presumptive presidential nominee in midsummer election-year polls back to 1984." Wednesday's results are in line with a Pew Research Center poll from last week, which found Romney's favorability rating had dropped slightly in the past month, with 37% saying they held a positive view of Romney in July, compared to 41% in June. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama has higher positive ratings than his Republican challenger in the new ABC News/Washington Post survey, with 53% of Americans saying they view the president favorably, while 43% say they hold an unfavorable opinion. But among registered voters, Obama's numbers fall to 49% favorable vs. 47% unfavorable. While the number drops, it's still more positive than Romney's score among registered voters: 42% favorable vs. 50% unfavorable. Obama also has an advantage over Romney among registered independent voters, leading his opponent 46% to 38%.