New national polls show Mitt Romney continuing to gain support in an unprecedented late-campaign surge.
Traditionally, challengers gain ground against incumbents after the first debate, but Obama's poor showing gave Romney an opportunity to capitalize on an ambivalent public.
The RealClearPolitics running aggregate of national polls puts Romney at more than a percentage point ahead of Obama, 1.1 percent, a slight uptick from yesterday, when Romney passed Obama for the first time in the campaign.
While a Rasmussen poll, which typically leans Republican, shows Obama 1 point ahead of Romney, a Fox News poll shows him 1 point behind, and an IBP/TIPP poll puts Romney at an impressive 5-point lead.
Taken together, the picture continues to grow darker for Obama.
However, Obama may still be holding on in important swing states. While it is very uncommon and quite unlikely, it is possible for a candidate to lose the popular vote nationally but still win the presidency by taking the right swing states to cobble together a majority in the Electoral College. George W. Bush beat out Al Gore in 2000 this way.
Still, if sentiment continues to shift as it has been over the last week, Obama might lose both the popular vote and the Electoral College.
He must find a way to halt Romney's gains, and his best chance may be Joe Biden, who confronts Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan at the first and only vice-presidential debate tonight.
The past week has seen constant replays of the president's poor performance in the Denver debate last week, and the next presidential debate isn't until Oct. 16, so tonight's debate is a one-time opportunity to change the narrative in the media and in the public consciousness.
While Romney has made recent gains, the odds still look to be in Obama's favor, as he was all but expected to trounce Romney only a few weeks ago. Fortunes change swiftly in campaigns, so there is still plenty of time for either candidate to fight back or falter.
Related Stories
>> Romney, Obama Polls: Latinos Still Support Obama, 80% in Arizona, May Sway Swing States
>> Obama vs. Romney: Electoral Map In Flux, Romney Makes Gains In Ohio, Florida, Colorado
>> Presidential Election Polls 2012: Polls In Flux, Who's Really In the Lead?
>> Obama vs. Romney Polls: Romney Overtakes Obama in Latest Poll Analysis, Can Romney Stay On Top?
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
