The presidential horse race remains tight even in the wake of Paul Ryan's entrance in the race, a new poll released Monday shows.

According to the latest Monmouth University Poll, President Barack Obama nurses a slim lead over Mitt Romney among likely voters nationwide, 46 percent to 45 percent — virtually identical to Obama's 1-point lead in Monmouth's previous national poll conducted in June.

Obama holds massive leads among Latinos and African-Americans, as well as a solid 12-point edge among women.  Romney, meanwhile, leads among white voters by 10 points and men by 4 points.  Perhaps most crucially, the presumptive Republican nominee claims a 3-point lead with independents.

The PollTracker Average currently shows Obama leading Romney among independent voters, 41.5 percent to 38.1 percent.