Obama still more liked than Romney despite poor debate

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/06/us-usa-campaign-poll-idUSBRE8931E420121006

Obama still more liked than Romney despite poor debate

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON | Sat Oct 6, 2012 3:23pm EDT

(Reuters) - Mitt Romney's strong debate performance did little to convince more voters he understands them or is a "good person" even though he has narrowed President Barack Obama's overall poll lead, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey released on Saturday.

Just a month before the November 6 election, the Democratic president is ahead of his Republican challenger on character attributes that can win over undecided voters who have not been swayed on policy points.

Romney gained in a few areas, but not at Obama's expense despite the incumbent's lackluster performance in the first presidential debate on Wednesday.

On the broad question of who they will vote for in November, Obama kept his slim 2 percentage point lead over Romney among likely voters - 47 to 45 percent - in the online survey.

The gap was unchanged from Friday, when Obama led by 46 to 44 percent in the tracking poll. His lead was 6 percentage points before the two men first went head-to-head in Denver.

"We haven't seen additional gains from Romney. This suggests to me that this is more of a bounce than a permanent shift," Ipsos pollster Julia Clark said.
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