A review of recent public polling confirms the main findings of our 2012 focus groups: this election features a Democratic President with some of his strongest ratings in national security. This is extraordinary after four decades of Republican dominance on security issues.

Set forth below are the most pertinent findings of recent, publicly available, polling data on national security issues. We offer results for Registered Voters (RV) and, where available, for Likely Voters (LV), Independent (IND) and moderate (MOD) voters.

Here’s a flavor:

• International Affairs: Independents trust Obama over Romney on international affairs by 9 points.
• Afghanistan: 58% of Independents support the President’s troop withdrawal plan.
• Libya: 40% of Independents disapprove of the President’s handling of Libya.
• Fighting Terrorism: 51% of Independents trust Obama over Romney on handling terrorism.

Want to know how Independent voters feel about the use of drones, Iran, and more? Read our memo, The Politics of National Security: Debate Edition.

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