Poll gives Obama edge in Pennsylvania

(CNN) – The latest poll in Pennsylvania gives President Barack Obama a six point lead over his Republican challenger Mitt Romney, though voters in the Keystone State say Romney would do a better job fixing the nation's troubled economy.

The poll from Quinnipiac University indicated Obama leading Romney 46%-40%. The president's lead was bolstered by strong advantages over Romney among women and independents – 51% of women back Obama, compared to 36% who support Romney. Forty-three percent of independents say they would vote for Obama, compared to 35% who would go for Romney.

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Voters were more confident in how a President Romney would handle the economy. Forty-nine percent say the former Massachusetts governor and two-time presidential candidate would better handle the economy, compared to 41% who named Obama. Forty-five percent said Romney would create more jobs as president, while 43% said Obama would be stronger on job creation.

Obama still rates far higher than his Republican rival on likeability – 77% percent of Pennsylvania voters say Obama is a likeable person, compared to 58% who say the same of Romney.

"President Barack Obama is holding his ground against Gov. Mitt Romney in Pennsylvania," Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, wrote in a statement accompanying the poll's release. "While almost four-fifths of voters, including 58 percent of Republicans, say the President is a likable person, where the rubber meets the road on the campaign trail – the economy – Romney has the lead."

Malloy continued, "Pennsylvanians may like the president more than they like Mitt Romney, but the warm and fuzzy feeling gives way to the cold hard truth of a still shaky economy."

Obama's lead in Pennsylvania has remained relatively consistent since the last Quinnipiac survey of the state – in a poll taken at the beginning of May, Obama led Romney by eight points, 47%-39%.

In Pennsylvania's race for U.S. Senate, incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey leads his GOP rival Tom Smith 51%-29%. Smith, a coal mine owner, has run ads in Pennsylvania linked Casey to Obama, making the case the Democrats' policies have lead to hard economic times.

Pennsylvania carried 20 electoral votes in November's general election, and is rated "Leaning Obama" on CNN's Electoral Map. Obama carried the state by 11 points over Sen. John McCain in the 2008 presidential election. But Republicans won big in the state in the 2010 midterm contests, grabbing the governor's office and five congressional seats.

Both Obama and Romney will make campaign stops in the state this week. Obama will hold a campaign event and a fund-raiser in Philadelphia Tuesday, and Romney will campaign there Saturday as part of his six-state, five-day bus tour.

The Quinnipiac University poll was taken by telephone between June 5-10 from 997 registered voters. The sampling error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.