President Obama has the edge over Mitt Romney in three key battleground states in large part because voters find him more likable than Romney, a poll released today found.

Quinnipiac University’s survey of more than 3,500 likely voters found Obama ahead by 11 percentage points in Pennsylvania (53 to 42 percent), and 6 percentage points in both Ohio (50 to 44 percent) and Florida (51 to 45 percent). Obama won all three states in the 2008 presidential election.

READ MORE: Obama ahead in three key states, poll shows

Photo credit: Obama shakes hands at a campaign event in Mansfield, Ohio, August 1, 2012. Reuters/Larry