Maybe Pennsylvania is in play, after all, in the presidential race.

A Franklin & Marshall College poll released today shows that Barack Obama now leads Mitt Romney by just 4 percentage points, with 4 percent undecided, among likely voters.

President Barack Obama. File photo/ Associated Press.

That compares to a 9-point lead that Obama held in the September poll, with 3 percent undecided.

The poll shows that Obama is seen as better able to handle foreign policy issues, better able to understand concerns of ordinary citizens, better able to handle the job as military chief and closest to voters’ views on abortion and gay marriage.

But Romney is now seen as more prepared to fix the nation’s economic problems, the poll showed.

Here’s another telling statistic: Voters are less interested in this year’s election (67 percent, very interested), compared to 2008 (73 percent, very interested).

Pennsylvania was thought to be safely in Obama’s column, but is that still the case? There’s only six days left to find out.

Mitt Romney/AP File Photo

– John Guerriero

The Franklin & Marshall College poll of Pennsylvania voters seems to support the theory that the state might not enjoy its typical battleground status this year in the presidential race.

The June poll shows President Barack Obama with a healthy lead over Mitt  Romney, 48 percent to 36 percent. The poll of 412 Pennsylvania voters also showed that Obama is viewed favorably by 46 percent of the voters to 27 percent for Romney.

President Barack Obama/AP file photo

The poll also shows that Obama is better able to handle foreign policy issues, 57 to 29 percent; understands the concerns of ordinary Americans, 57 to 31 percent; can handle the job as military chief, 51 to 33 percent; aligns closest to the respondents’ views on abortion and gay marriage, 47 to 37 percent; and is prepared to fix the nation’s economic problems, 44 to 38 percent.

Paradoxically, the poll says that six in 10 voters believe the state is moving in the wrong direction.

Mitt Romney/AP File Photo

The poll also shows U.S. Sen Bob Casey with a comfortable lead over  GOP challenger Tom Smith, 42 to 21 percent

There’s still a long way to go, however, before the Nov. 6 election.

– John Guerriero