Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has wiped away President Barack Obama's lead among registered voters and has tightened his lead among likely voters the latest Gallup Daily tracking reported. With the presidential election just weeks away, the competition between the two candidates has become increasingly close with Romney forging ahead.
The poll results have fluctuated among both registered and likely voters in the past week, closing the gap that had Obama in the lead. Tuesday's Gallup Daily tracking revealed that Romney closed the gap among registered voters, tying support for both candidates at 47 percent. Previous polls found Obama in the lead, with a five-point lead recorded last week.
Romney also widened the lead he has held over President Obama among likely voters. Monday's tracking results had Romney up two points, 49 percent, to Obama's 47 percent. On Tuesday, Romney's lead rose to 50 percent to Obama's 46 percent.
President Obama did, however, see a slight improvement in his approval and disapproval ratings. Gallup reported that the president's approval rating rose one point, from 48 percent on Monday to 49 percent on Tuesday. Obama's disapproval rating also saw a change, falling two points from 47 percent on Monday to 45 percent on Tuesday.
The GOP candidate has seen an incredible surge in poll numbers following his strong performance during the first presidential debate in Denver earlier this month. Despite this, Romney continues to lack the support women, black voters and Latino voters, which may prove to be crucial demographics this election.
A recent report by Latino Decisions also found that Romney's approval rating among Latino voters nationwide is 23 percent, something his campaign has struggled to improve. Increasing Latino voter support for President Obama and Democrats may also affect results in Virginia, Latino Decisions reported on Tuesday.
Given the positive aftermath after the first presidential debate, Romney may be counting on the remaining two presidential debates to continue his surge among registered and likely voters. Similarly, Obama may want to use the last debates to reverse the effects of his weak performance in Denver.
The town hall-style format of the debate on Tuesday, however, may pose a risk to both candidates, who have struggled when confronted directly by voters, The New York Times reported. According to the NY Times, Romney will perhaps struggle the most because he is seen as the candidate to understand voters the lease.
The vice presidential debate on Thursday between Vice President Joe Biden and Romney's running mate Paul Ryan was decidedly a victory for Biden, although it has had little to no effect on the poll numbers. Vice presidential debates are historically not known to have a major impact on voters.
The next presidential debate will be held tonight, October 16 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. and will discuss foreign and domestic policies in a town hall-style debate. The last presidential debate before the Nov. 6 election will be held on October 22 at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
