As noted earlier, an appearance on the Late Show with Jay Leno could help Mitt Romney in swing state poll numbers. "Jay is Ohio," as one late-night show TV producer put it to the New York Times.

In a column for the Wall Street Journal, former Late Show writer Raymond Siller confirms as much:

"If we postulate that studio audiences reflect the views of the host, Jay Leno's audience probably comes closest to representing the average voter."