Romney edges Obama, 49-45, in latest Pew poll

Washington, DC, United States (4E) – Pew Research Center released the result of its latest national poll showing that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has overtaken President Barack Obama following his impressive performance last week in the first presidential debate.

In a previous poll taken by Pew in mid-September, Obama was leading Romney by eight points. This has been completely reversed as Romney is now ahead by four points among likely voters, with the former Massachusetts governor at 49 per cent while Obama at 45 per cent. This is the first time that Romney has led by that much margin.

Around two-thirds of voters think that Romney did a better job compared to Obama, which includes 72 per cent independents and 39 per cent Democrats. Romney also received improved ratings on key issues and personal characteristics than what he got from the previous poll.

Both Obama and Romney are tied among registered voters at 46 per cent each, where just last month Obama held a solid nine-point lead. It was exactly one year ago that Romney last broke even with the president among registered voters in the same poll.

The poll also shows that the two are tied on which candidate is the stronger leader, a major surge for Romney who trailed Obama by 13 points in the previous month. Romney also enjoys a 49-41 lead on the question of who can improve the labor market, as well as a 47-43 edge on tax policy.

The result of the Pew poll is yet another sign of Romney’s resurgence after his impressive debate performance against Obama. A Gallup tracking poll taken days after the Denver debate shows that Romney has caught up with the president among registered voters with both candidates now tied at 47 per cent.

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