Romney keeps Gallup lead; Obama up in latest Reuters poll

Mitt Romney has maintained a five-point lead over President Obama, according to Gallup’s latest national tracking poll.

Romney, the Republican nominee for president, holds a 51 percent to 46 percent lead among likely voters, the same advantage he held in Friday’s tracking poll. For a second consecutive day, Obama and Romney were tied among registered voters, at 48 percent apiece.

Gallup’s tracking poll is based on a seven-day rolling average, meaning that some of the data is from before last Monday’s final presidential debate. 

A separate Gallup tracker also found that Obama’s approval ratings have declined sharply since just the middle of the week. 

More people in the U.S., Gallup said, now disapprove of the president (49 percent) than approve (46 percent). 

{mosads}Just on Wednesday, Gallup had reported that 53 percent of Americans gave the president solid marks, as opposed to just a 42-percent disapproval rating. Gallup’s approval ratings are based on three-day rolling polls.

The Gallup national tracker has gathered considerable attention this campaign season, at least in part because it has generally found Romney in a stronger position than other polls over the last several weeks.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Saturday, for instance, found that Obama had a 47 percent to 45 percent advantage among likely voters. The Washington Post/ABC News poll tracker released on Friday gave Romney a narrow edge, 49 percent to 48 percent.

The Reuters poll also found that almost nine out of 10 registered voters were firmly in one candidate’s camp, suggesting that the universe of undecided voters is shrinking just 10 days before Election Day. 

Reuters/Ipsos also found that Obama had an advantage among early voters.

But while Romney has also taken an edge in some national surveys, swing-state polling also suggests that he may have a tougher path to the necessary 270 electoral votes than Obama.

Several polls in recent days have found Obama ahead in the key state of Ohio. Romney’s running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.), is spending much of the weekend in the Buckeye State to try and corral support.

Obama also held an advantage on Friday in polls released in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. 

Romney appears to be increasingly strong in Florida, where the former Massachusetts governor is campaigning on Saturday. Obama heads to the state on Sunday.