In the first Gallup poll following the second presidential debate, Republican Mitt Romney is leading by seven points over President Barack Obama, his widest lead yet.
The poll, covering the opinions of "likely voters" from last Thursday through yesterday, showed Romney at 52 percent, a one point increase over Tuesday, while President Obama held steady at 43 percent.
The first presidential debate held in Denver on Sept. 3 was a game-changer for President Obama, whose performance was widely panned. Since then Romney has been steadily gaining in the Gallup poll.
The President's job approval rating bumped up by one point to 50 percent, which is considered to be the threshold necessary for an incumbent to be reelected, the Business Insider reported.
Obama also gained one point with registered voters, as opposed to likely voters, in the latest poll closing a two-point gap with Romney. Romney's numbers were unchanged, and he is now slightly ahead of Obama at 48 percent to 47 percent.
In the first week of October Obama and Romney were tied in the Gallup poll at 48 percent each.
"Obama has lost most among voters in the South, 30- to 49-year-olds, those with four-year college degrees, postgraduates, men, and Protestants. He has also slipped modestly among whites, Easterners, women, and Catholics," Gallup reports.
The Gallup daily tracking poll is subject to day-to-day fluctuations and could be an outlier, reports the blog, The Hill. Gallup's margin is large among recent polls, with seven other national polls released in the last two days show margins varying from +3 Obama to +4 Romney, reports the Huffington Post.
Likely voters are simply people who respondent to public opinion surveys who are considered likely to go to the polls; typically, they are identified by their how likely they think it is that they will vote in the next election.
Gallup pointed out that sometimes the response of likely voters is very similar to registered voters and sometimes not.
Related Articles
Gallup poll: Romney opens up 7-point lead among likely voters
Join the Conversation