Barack Obama Leads Mitt Romney In Virginia Poll

President Obama leads Mitt Romney by 5 points in Virginia according to a poll released Tuesday by the Democratic-leaning firm Public Policy Polling, which shows the president ahead 50 percent to 45 percent.

The survey used a tighter "likely voter" screen than PPP's last poll, taken in early July, but found similar results. The outcome is consistent with the idea that Romney's choice of Paul Ryan as a vice presidential candidate hasn't fundamentally changed the race, as modeled by political scientist Simon Jackman for HuffPost Pollster.

Polling on the Virginia race has been inconsistent, with surveys taken since July showing everything from a 3-point Romney lead to an 8-point Obama lead. PPP has generally found a slightly larger gap between Obama and Romney in Virginia, as compared to other outlets. Obama has led by at least 4 points in each of its polls this year.

The automated phone poll was conducted between Aug. 16 and Aug. 19, and surveyed 855 likely voters. It had a 3.4 percent margin of error.