Mitt Romney is now effectively tied with President Obama in a series of polls released since last week’s presidential debate.
Obama has led the presidential race for months, and about two weeks ago was ahead significantly in nearly every key state, creating the possibility he would repeat his 2008 blowout victory.
Now, new polls from the American Research Group and the Pew Research Center have shown Romney narrowly in front of the president, although both surveys are within the margin of error. Post-debate polls in Colorado, Ohio and Michigan have all shown a tighter race as well, as Obama now only has a clear lead in Michigan.
At the same time, a new survey by CNN in Ohio showed the president still remains ahead by four points there. No Republican has ever won the election without carrying Ohio.
The surveys suggest that the shift is largely due to improved voter perceptions of Romney. The Pew poll showed a majority of voters now have a favorable view of Romney for the first time in the campaign.
According to Pew, Romney and Obama are now running about even among women, a key electoral bloc that Obama easily won in 2008 and has led by double-digits for most of the campaign.