GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney campaigns in Painesville, talks polls, energy and Ohio jobs

PAINESVILLE, Ohio - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney gave a campaign speech at Lake Erie College Friday in Painesville.

Before his speech Romney sat down for a one on one interview with NewsChannel5’s Paul Kiska.

New polls show Romney down five to seven points in Ohio, where jobs are a hot issue. President George Bush won Lake County in 2004 and President Barak Obama won Lake County in 2008. During the interview, Romney said there's no sign the economy is recovering.

"It doesn't look like a recovery. You have 47 million people on food stamps, 43 straight months with unemployment above 8 percent. We’ve had our fourth straight year with earnings declining, so middle income families are really struggling under the President's policies and that's why people are looking for change,” said Romney.

Romney hopes to win back Lake County and Ohio with his five-point plan to create jobs.

"Take advantage of our energy, coal, wind, nuclear, natural gas and oil. Number one. Number two, take advantage of trade, open up new markets for us, but crack down on China when they cheat. Fix our schools and training programs, get us on track to a balanced budget and finally champion small business. Make it easier for small businesses to grow," Romney said.

Romney said while debates have the potential to be make or break, polls that show him behind in battleground states, including Ohio, are another story. The first presidential debate is Oct. 3.

"Well, there are a lot of polls out there. I saw one today that had me in the lead, the other had it tied, the other had me behind. They're bouncing around, but I actually think the people in the middle make up their minds pretty close to the election and after the debates. But I'm expecting to get good support here in Ohio and I need Ohio's support to become the next president," Romney said.

Romney added that he supports spending to continue the clean up of the Great Lakes, including Lake Erie where toxic algae blooms have become a problem and invasive species like Asian Carp pose a threat to the region.

President Barack Obama will campaign in Cincinnati and Columbus on Monday.