DETROIT – In the first poll to be conducted since Tuesday’s presidential debate, President Barack Obama’s lead has grown over his Republican rival Mitt Romney. In an automated poll of 800 voters, Obama led Romney 52 percent to 46 percent.
The poll was conducted by the Lansing firm of EPIC/MRA for the Detroit Free Press and WXYZ-TV of Detroit. The poll has an error margin of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
The poll showed that 46 percent of those polled thought Obama won the Tuesday debate, while 35 percent thought Romney won and 11 percent called it a tie. A total of 55 percent of those polled said they watched the entire debate.
Most observers and analysts across the country pegged Obama as the winner. Romney won the first debate two weeks ago.
And following that first debate, Romney saw a pickup of support both in Michigan and nationally. In the last EPIC/MRA poll Obama had seen his lead fall to 3 percentage points. That poll was done using live interviews.
Bernie Porn, with EPIC/MRA, said much of the pickup for Obama came in support from women voters following the debate. Porn also said that the poll showed Obama was consolidating his position in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties.
However, the poll also showed Michigan voters having a more favorable view of Romney. In the last poll, he had a 45 percent favorable rating, but in the latest poll they gave him a 52 percent favorable rating. But 53 percent gave Obama a favorable rating in the latest poll.
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