Texas will deliver for Mitt Romney! But who cares?

Texas will deliver for Mitt Romney! But who cares?

Today's Gallup 7-day tracker has Mitt Romney leading President Barack Obama 51-45. Horrible, right?

First of all, this is all pre-debate stuff. But forget about even that, because look at the poll crosstabs from yesterday's edition (when it was 50-46):

Romney's entire advantage in this poll comes from a massive lead in the South. Now sure, some of that may be Florida, but the state-level polling certainly doesn't show that. So Romney is driving up big margins in Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Mississippi and other such presidentially irrelevant states? Good for him! I'm sure that'll be cold comfort as he loses the states that actually matter in the Midwest and West.

Latest tracking polls:

Rasmussen (national): Romney +1, was R+2 yesterday

Rasmussen (Swing states): Obama +3 (50-47)

Ipsos/Reuters: Obama +3

YouGov/Economist: Obama +1

IBD/TIPP: Obama +1

RAND: Obama +5

None have included post-debate numbers, because those can't be polled until today.