Latest Gallup Poll Shows Romney In The Lead … Barely

The final Gallup poll released today shows Mitt Romney maintaining a one point lead over Barack Obama. The poll has consistently shown Romney in the lead in recent weeks and has become a point of focus for the Obama campaign.

The “widely-respected pollster” has shown Romney in the lead fairly consistently since mid- to late-October. The Republican candidate’s highest margin was 6 points, noted by Gallup on October 22. The Obama campaign complained that the poll “knocks out too many Obama voters” because of the seven questions the poll asks responders.

The Gallup polls results generally show the largest shifts after presidential debates. However, the debates that Obama has won have not produced a major shift in Obama-favored numbers, according to The Atlantic Wire. After considering results from voters who saw the second presidential debate — considered Obama’s clear win — Obama’s victory “isn’t earning him the same swing in polls that Romney’s victory in the first debate did for the Republican.”

At least not according to Gallup.

The final daily numbers are generally not released until 1 pm, but today’s were leaked by Gallup’s editor-in-chief Frank Newport to Ira Boudway of Blooomberg Businessweek.

The Gallup poll took a break in the wake of Sandy. The last figures showed Obama trailing behind Romney by five points. The margin is closing rapidly. The Gallup poll suspended polling during the storm because Sandy would have limited the ability to get a “fully representative sample.”

Most asked question of the week: Who do you think is going to win the election?