Presidential Debates 2012 Results: Romney Enjoys Surge in Polls After Strong Debate Performance

After a successful first presidential debate, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is experiencing a slight increase in ratings, a Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed.

Romney's favorability rose to 51 percent of voters, the poll found. According to the poll, President Barack Obama remained unchanged at 56 percent favorability.

The debate, which was held at the University of Denver on Wednesday, is being viewed as a Republican victory, Reuters reported. Romney's strong performance pushed him ahead as a favorite to improve the economy, stimulate job creation and deal with the budget deficit, the poll revealed.

Ipsos pollster Cliff Young told Reuters that the successful first debate could make the presidential race much more competitive than it has been. "If he [Romney] has more debates like this, is able to push through his message and target undecided's, we might see movement in voting intention, but he needs a lot more of this," Young said.

Obama has held a steady lead over Romney in the last couple of weeks, although his poor performance at Wednesday's debate has hurt his advantage. According to the poll, Obama's 7-point advantage over Romney fell to a 5-point lead, 48 percent to 43 percent.

Despite his poor performance in Denver, a Quinnipiac poll on Tuesday revealed that likely voters believed Obama would win the debates 2-1. Obama continues to hold the support among minority voters, the middle class and women. Romney, on the other hand, holds the support of the upper class and men.

The post-debate poll is the first time Romney has seen a "net positive in the U.S. presidential race," Reuters reported. A series of mishaps have pockmarked the Romney campaign, including the release of a secretly recorded video showing the GOP candidate saying 47 percent of Americans see themselves as "victims."

According to Reuters, 27 percent of those surveyed said the debates prompted them to view Romney positively. Nineteen percent, however, said the debates prompted them to view him negatively.

The debates did not damage Obama's numbers, the poll found. According to Reuters, 54 percent reported that the debate did not change their view of the president. Sixteen percent said their opinions of Obama improved and 18 percent said their opinions worsened.

Three more debates are scheduled this month. The next debate, between Vice President Joe Biden and GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, will be held on October 11 at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. The next two presidential debates will be held on October 16 at Hofstra University in New York and October 22 at Lynn University in Florida.