By Kyle Adams - October 16, 2012

Mitt Romney is now within four points of President Obama in Pennsylvania, according to a poll released Tuesday by Quinnipiac University.

The president has 50 percent support to Romney's 46 percent. Romney has gained four points, and Obama has lost the same amount, since he trailed Obama, 54-42, in a CBS News/New York Times/Quinnipiac poll in mid-September. The latest survey comes on the heels of several other polls showing the former Massachusetts governor within striking distance of the president in a state Republicans haven't carried since 1988. An Allentown Morning Call poll released Monday showed the president ahead, 49-45, and a Rasmussen Reports poll released last week showed Romney behind by five points.

However, a Public Policy Polling (D) survey also released Monday showed Obama ahead by a more comfortable seven-point margin. The president currently leads in the RCP Average in Pennsylvania by five points.

The tightening of the race in a state once thought to be safely in Obama's corner highlights the challenge facing the president in the wake of Romney's strong performance in the first presidential debate. After that Oct. 3 face-off, the Republican candidate has taken a narrow lead in the RCP Average of national polls and has taken the lead or at least gained ground on the president in key battleground states.

The Quinnipiac poll shows both candidates with above-water favorability ratings. However, Obama still has a slight edge, with 52 percent of likely voters saying that have a favorable view of him compared to 46 percent who have a favorable view of Romney.

The poll also shows a tightening Senate race in the Keystone State. Incumbent Democrat Bob Casey Jr. now leads Republican Tom Smith by only three points, 48-45. He leads in the RCP Average by 5.3 percent.

Quinnipiac surveyed 1,519 likely Pennsylvania voters from Oct. 12-14. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.