New polls of the two largest battlegrounds in the race for the White House show a close contest following the second presidential debate.

In Florida, where there are 29 electoral votes, 48% of likely voters said they back GOP challenger Mitt Romney, and 45% said they support President Barack Obama, according to a Fox News poll of likely voters. Those results are in line with Friday's CNN/ORC International poll of likely Florida voters.

The CNN poll found 49% of likely voters in the Sunshine State backed Romney and 48% backed Obama.

The differences between the candidates in both polls are within the sampling errors.

Likely voters in Ohio split similarly between the two candidates, with 46% backing Obama and 43% supporting Romney, the Fox poll showed. Throughout the fall and summer, polls in the Buckeye State have showed a tight race, some with a slight advantage for Obama. Ohio has 18 electoral votes.

Obama has slipped among independents in both states, the poll showed.

In Florida, Romney's favorability stands at 55%, and in Ohio, 48% view him favorably. Obama's favorability is 53% in Ohio and 51% in Florida, according to the Fox poll.

CNN polls found that two out of three debate watchers said Romney won the first debate, but the second debate, held October 16, was a draw.

The Fox News polls were conducted on October 17 and 18. Included were 1,130 likely voters in Florida and 1,131 likely voters in Ohio contacted by telephone. The sampling error in each state is plus or minus three percentage points.

The third and final debate between the two candidates will take place in Florida on Monday.