CEO Romney vs. Candidate Romney

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September 24, 2012

That's a lot of Romneys for one campaign. And his real challenge ahead of the first debate on Oct. 3 is closing the gap with the president in at least a few of the tossup states. This week, Romney and running mate Paul Ryan are plunging headfirst into of the most important battlegrounds -- Ohio -- just as polls show President Obama with a consistent lead there. An NBC News-Wall Street Journal-Marist poll out earlier this month put Obama's edge in Ohio at seven percentage points over his Republican challenger and a RealClearPolitics.com average of recent polls pegs the president's lead over Romney at roughly four points.

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But the GOP ticket's focus on the state next week reflects its importance on the political map. Without winning there Romney faces a much trickier path to the 270 electoral votes he needs to win.

ABC's Jake Tapper reported for "Good Morning America" today on last night's dueling "60 Minutes" interviews. WATCH: http://abcn.ws/QcVMBi