Continuing his impressive surge, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has extended his national lead over the incumbent US President Barack Obama by seven points, a key poll shows, even as surveys in decisive battleground states show a tight race.
The Gallup daily tracking poll yesterday had said that Romney has a seven-point lead over likely voters. He now has the support of 52 per cent against Obama’s 45 per cent. This is for the second day in succession that Romney’s lead is beyond the error of margin.
According to Gallup, the survey is a rolling seven-day average through October 17 and includes one day of polling data since Tuesday night’s presidential debate in New York. Obama was declared the winner of the second presidential debate on October 16.
However, a series of regional polls showed that the race is very close in some of the key battleground states which, according to political experts, would determine who would be the next president of the United States.
In Florida, Obama has a three-point lead over Romney according to NewsMax/Zogby survey; while another two polls for Ohio showed the US President in lead (one per cent in one poll and three per cent in the other) against his Republican challenger.
Obama was also shown in lead in Wisconsin, according to another local poll.
According to RealClearPolitics, Obama also leads in Virginia and Iowa; while Romney is in lead in other battleground States of Florida and Colorado.
RealClearPolitics, which keeps track of all the major polls, said that the average of all such polls puts Romney in a lead of one point over Obama.