Latest Gallup, Rasmussen 2012 Presidential Election Polls: Romney Leads By a Single Point

The Gallup poll is back after a week-long hiatus due to Hurricane Sandy and its destructive aftermath along the Eastern seaboard.

Republican challenger Mitt Romney still leads in the Gallup daily tracking poll, though only by a single point, dropping significantly from the 5 or 7-point margins we saw early last week.

That may be due to the unique composition of today's Gallup poll.

Usually, Gallup polls voters from around the country every day, and then aggregates data from the previous seven days to produce a rolling average.

However, since Gallup doesn't have full data from the past week, this update covers only the last three days.

Obama's support has been on the rise in the last week after his quick and decisive response to the hurricane and its aftermath, and this update ignores Romney's stronger support from earlier days.

Romney leads by the same amount in the Rasmussen tracking poll, which always aggregates data over a three-day period.

Romney has the support of 48 percent of voters, compared to 47 percent who support Obama.

While these two polls show a slight Romney lead, other national polls show larger Obama leads.

Together, the trend shows a increase in support for the president over the last few weeks, and RealClearPolitics puts Obama at a slim 0.7 percent lead in averages of all national polls.

But the election is decided by the Electoral College, not the popular vote, and Obama leads in several crucial swing states, including Ohio.

No Republican has ever won the presidency without Ohio, and this year looks to be no different.