WASHINGTON (July 2, 2012)--The presidential race enters July with President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney locked in a neck-and-neck contest that shows no sign of breaking open.

Each candidate sees problems he'd like to cure before Labor Day.

Mr. Obama's allied groups aren't keeping pace with Romney's fundraising machine, which puts more pressure on the president to solicit huge sums himself.

Romney's fundraising is impressive, but he's spending heavily in North Carolina, a state he almost certainly must win to oust Obama.

Some voters in key states appear uncomfortable with Romney's record at a corporate restructuring firm.

With unemployment high, polls suggest Mr. Obama holds only a small, perhaps meaningless lead as he awaits a new jobs report Friday.