US Election Polls 2012: Obama, Romney Tied Among Voters 47%

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney continues to reap the rewards off of his first presidential debate last week. According to the latest Gallup poll, Romney and President Barack Obama are tied for voter presidential preferences at 47 percent.

The results come after the first three days of Gallup tracking since last Wednesday's presidential debate at the University of Denver. Gallup reported that President Obama held a 5-point lead among registered voters prior to the debate.

Gallup's Oct. 4-5 poll found that among those who watched the first debate, 72 percent believed that Romney did a much better than Obama (20 percent). The poll also found that nearly all Republicans believed Romney to be the winner and that Democrats believed Romney won, 49 percent to 39 percent.

However, Gallup noted that the improved poll ratings for Romney might reflect the impact of positive news stories and media commentary towards the GOP candidate.

According to Gallup, the poll was conducted through a number of days, beginning with the night of the debate. Among all the debate-reaction polls Gallup conducted, Romney's 52-point win was the largest measured.

A poll released by Reuters following Wednesday's debate revealed that the Romney's strong performance pushed him ahead as the preferred candidate to deal with the economy, stimulate job creation and fix the budget deficit.

Romney's undoubtedly strong performance in Denver has made the presidential election that much more competitive. However, Gallup noted that despite the surge in poll numbers favorable to the GOP candidate, Romney did not take a lead among voters. In fact, the Reuter's poll last week found that the debates did little to damage Obama's favorability numbers.

Although the first presidential debate has finally made the presidential race competitive, debates historically do not transform election races, Gallup reported. Additionally, an unemployment report released on Friday showing an improvement among Americans could halt Romney's post-debate surge.

There are three remaining debates left before the Nov. 6 election. Vice President Joe Biden and Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan will perform in the next debate scheduled for October 11 at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. The following two presidential debates will be held on October 16 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. and on October 22 at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla.