Mitt Romney's post-Denver debate rise in the polls took an even steeper climb today when Gallup released a new survey showing the Republican candidate with a seven-point national lead over President Obama, 52-45 percent.
The tracking poll surveyed likely voters, Gallup said.
Nicolle Wallace, a top aide to Sen. John McCain during his 2008 run and current ABC News analyst, said "the numbers suggest that the first debate permanently liberated Romney from the caricature that had been created by the Obama campaign's ad onslaught and by Romney's own high profile gaffes.
"If his numbers hold up after his second -- weaker -- debate performance, the Romney campaign will go into the final two weeks with understandable confidence," she said.
Charles Dharapak/AP Photo
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Neither the Romney nor the Obama campaigns addressed the poll, but ABC News political director Amy Walter said, "Republicans are overjoyed. Democrats are tearing out their hair."
The figures released today present a rolling average of results gathered during the past week. So any boost President Obama might have gained from his more energetic showing in New York Tuesday night is still mostly missing.
Gallup's Oct. 23 poll, which will account for all seven days after that second debate, will offer a more clear look at the landscape.
Others were cautious about the results of the Gallup survey.
Stu Rothenberg, author of the respected Rothenberg Political Report, said, "It seems awful big to me, especially since Gallup has shown Obama's job approval rising."
"I would urge real caution on just accepting face value on single survey, no matter who it is... I'd want to see other polls showing the same thing before I jump to conclusions," Rothenberg said.
Another expert on presidential races, Charlie Cook of the Cook Political Report, was also wary.
"I like Gallup but have a strong sense that this is an outlier, that Romney was, pre-debate, probably ahead nationally by low single digits," he told ABC News.
The tracking poll surveyed likely voters, Gallup said.
Nicolle Wallace, a top aide to Sen. John McCain during his 2008 run and current ABC News analyst, said "the numbers suggest that the first debate permanently liberated Romney from the caricature that had been created by the Obama campaign's ad onslaught and by Romney's own high profile gaffes.
"If his numbers hold up after his second -- weaker -- debate performance, the Romney campaign will go into the final two weeks with understandable confidence," she said.
Charles Dharapak/AP Photo
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney... View Full Size
Mitt Romney's 'Binders Full of Women' Backlash Watch Video
Presidential Debate 2012: Who Gets the Bounce? Watch Video
2nd Presidential Debate 2012: Highlights from a Testy Debate Watch Video
Neither the Romney nor the Obama campaigns addressed the poll, but ABC News political director Amy Walter said, "Republicans are overjoyed. Democrats are tearing out their hair."
The figures released today present a rolling average of results gathered during the past week. So any boost President Obama might have gained from his more energetic showing in New York Tuesday night is still mostly missing.
Gallup's Oct. 23 poll, which will account for all seven days after that second debate, will offer a more clear look at the landscape.
Others were cautious about the results of the Gallup survey.
Stu Rothenberg, author of the respected Rothenberg Political Report, said, "It seems awful big to me, especially since Gallup has shown Obama's job approval rising."
"I would urge real caution on just accepting face value on single survey, no matter who it is... I'd want to see other polls showing the same thing before I jump to conclusions," Rothenberg said.
Another expert on presidential races, Charlie Cook of the Cook Political Report, was also wary.
"I like Gallup but have a strong sense that this is an outlier, that Romney was, pre-debate, probably ahead nationally by low single digits," he told ABC News.