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The battleground state of New Hampshire

In 11 days from now we may have a decision on who our next president will be.
The 2012 battleground map outlining the state of New Hampshire and its 4 electoral votes.
The 2012 battleground map outlining the state of New Hampshire and its 4 electoral votes.

In 11 days from now we may have a decision on who our next president will be.

With 11 days until election day the Cyclists have decided to focus on a different state to watch every day. Yesterday the focus was Wisconsin, today it is New Hampshire. While New Hampshire only has 4 electoral votes, those 4 electoral votes could decide the election.

Back in 2008, Obama won the state by almost 10 points, and he now he has a very small lead. According to the latest Real Clear Politics poll average  the president leads 48.3% to Romney’s 47.2%. That one point one of a percentage point is a small margin and could help push him to the Oval Office for the next four years.

So what factors depend on him winning this battleground state? New Hampshire has a below average unemployment rate at 5.7%, something that could factor favorably for the president. The new job numbers come out a week from Friday, and that could play for or against the president come November 6.

As Krystal Ball pointed out during Friday's show,  “[New Hampshire] has a long history of feminism. It was actually the first state to ratify the ERA [Equal Rights Amendment]. If the Democrats sweep this time around you will actually have, for the first time ever, a state whose entire congressional delegation and governor are all women. Which is kind of an incredible thing and may help them. The president has a huge gender gap in the state, so while Romney micro targeting ship holders, I’m quite confident the president will be targeting women, suburban women, talking about the social issues, reminding them of the extreme positions of the Republican party.” Currently, the president is +23 among women, while Romney is only +7.

However, according to the 7News/Suffolk University poll 45% of those polled believe Romney has a better plan to fix the economy compared to the 42% that voted for the president’s plan. The same poll showed that 46% believe the president is better fit to handle foreign policy compared to 42% who believe Romney is capable.

So how will this battleground state play out come November 6? And will it play an important role in deciding the next president? Only time will tell. Be sure to tune in Monday to see our next state of the day.