Pew: Romney leads Obama among likely voters

USATODAY

A new poll, a different view.

Mitt Romney now leads President Obama by 4 percentage points among likely voters after a strong debate performance last week, according to polling by the Pew Research Center.

The GOP presidential nominee has a 49% to 45% edge, Pew says. Last month, Obama had an 8-point advantage among those most likely to vote in the Pew survey.

Registered voters by more than 3-to-1 -- or 66% to 20% -- said Romney did a better job than Obama in their first presidential debate last week in Denver. Romney was generally viewed as more aggressive and forceful in their debate on the economy and domestic issues, while Obama sometimes lacked focus.

The Pew poll has a different finding than Gallup's daily tracking poll. In a seven-day rolling average Oct. 1-7, Obama led Romney among registered voters, 49% to 45%, according to Gallup.

Gallup, however, found that Romney pulled even with Obama in two days of surveys taken Thursday and Friday after the debate. Obama apparently did better over the weekend after the jobless rate for September went below 8%, as reported on Friday.

USA TODAY's Martha T. Moore will have more on the latest polls in Tuesday's editions.