Obama leads over Romney in key Virginia: Poll

United States President Barack Obama is leading by seven points against his possible Republican rival Mitt Romney in the key battle ground state of Virginia, a new poll has said.

The poll conducted by The Washington Post on Thursday, however, revealed that voters were evenly divided on key policy initiatives of the Obama administration.

Obama is ahead of his presumed Republican presidential nominee by 51 per cent to 44 per cent among registered voters, the daily said.

"And Romney does no better against Obama than he did in a post poll a year ago, despite his emergence as the GOP standard-bearer," it said.

The daily says its survey shows that voters in Virginia are split over Obama's signature healthcare reform law and they remain deeply pessimistic about the way things are going in the country, creating a potential opening for Romney.

Virginia is expected to be a battle ground state in the November presidential elections.

Obama, who was the first Democrat to capture Virginia in four decades, is kicking off his election campaign from there on Saturday.