Gallup: Obama victor in second presidential debate

A new survey confirms the findings of instant snap polls taken in the immediate aftermath of the second presidential debate: more Americans believe that President Obama prevailed, a reversal after a consensus win in the first contest for Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

More than half of Americans — 51 percent — named Obama the winner of the second debate, good for a 14-percentage-point lead over Mitt Romney, according to a poll released Friday by Gallup. Just over one in 10 voters said neither man emerged a clear victor.

Still, that advantage pales in comparison to the judgment of Romney's performance in the debate two weeks prior. In that contest, Romney was named the winner by a 72-20 percent margin.

According to the Gallup poll, three-fourths of Americans surveyed said they watched the debates, up from two-thirds after the initial contest. Television ratings from the Neilsen company suggest that might not be the case, however, with the second debate drawing 1.4 million fewer viewers by their survey.

Unsurprisingly, there was a sharp partisan split in judging the second debate performance. Democrats gave the president an 88-4 percent advantage, while Republicans favored Romney 78-9 percent. But the president carried independents, winning 54-33 percent among those who said they did not affiliate with either party.

The poll was conducted in the two days following Tuesday's debate, and carried a margin of error of 4 points.

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