Luntz focus group: Obama, Romney both 'flawed'

CHARLOTTE -- Pollster Frank Luntz has some good news for Republican challenger Mitt Romney: Voters don't want to re-elect President Obama.

The not-so-good news: They're not crazy about Romney either.

"Obama's advantage is Romney's weakness," said Luntz, a frequent commentator on Fox News. "Romney's advantage is Obama's weakness."

Luntz -- who conducted a focus group this week of 27 voters, 24 of whom backed Obama in 2008 -- said they have "a feeling that both of these candidates are flawed."

While they feel "Barack Obama hasn't succeeded," Luntz said, they also "question whether Mitt Romney would be any better."

The simple math is that Romney must pull back many voters who cast ballots for Obama in 2008 if he is to triumph this year.

Romney's problem is that voters still perceive him as a rich guy who doesn't understand the struggles of everyday Americans, Luntz said.

The focus group was sponsored by the University of Phoenix.

Among Luntz's other conclusions: Voters generally prefer Republican ads to Democratic ones, and they have a higher opinion of Republican running mate Paul Ryan than of GOP nominee Romney.

That said, these focus group voters went 24-3 for Obama over John McCain in 2008; now, seven are for Obama, nine are for Romney, and 11 are undecided -- the "sweet spot" of the electorate, in Luntz's words.

"These are the people that Mitt Romney has to win to win the election," Luntz said.