A new Gallup poll matching President Barack Obama against four top GOP candidates shows that for now the President could have a hard re-election fight on his hands.
Head-to-Head against former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney - Obama trails 48%-46%.
Rick Perry ties the President with 47% in the poll. With Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann trailing the President by just a couple percentage points. All the results are with-in the polls margin of error.
The poll results show Democrats and Republicans overwhelmingly voting for the candidate from their party. With independents splitting their votes.
The poll taken about a year and a half before the general election hasn't been the best predictor of the next year's outcome. The 1979 and 1983 the polls showed Ronald Reagan in tight races against Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale. Both races were landslide victories for Reagan.
And August 1999 the Gallup poll had George W. Bush leading Al Gore by 14%.
