Mitt Romney continues rising in the polls, and is leading President Barack Obama in 11 key swing states 49 to 47 percent, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports survey.
The states, all won by Obama in 2008, collectively hold 146 Electoral College votes and include Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.
This is the first time Romney has led the daily Swing State Survey since Sept. 19. Until today, the president had led for 17 of the previous 19 days, and the candidates had been tied twice, according to the survey.
The survey is based on findings from the previous seven days, with most of the responses now coming since Romney’s debate win last Wednesday night.
Forty-six percent of  swing state voters are now “certain” they will vote for Romney and will not change their minds. Forty percent are certain they will vote for the president.
In 2008, Obama won these states by a combined margin of 53 percent to 46 percent, virtually identical to his national margin.
What makes this surprising is that in a matter of one week,  Romney has erased Obama’s advantage in the race for the White House. Yet another poll, this one conducted by Reuters/Ipsos, finds the president and Romney tied among likely voters.
With the November 6 election four weeks away, Romney and Obama each command 45 percent, the Reuters/Ipsos daily tracking poll found.
The poll reflects a closely divided electorate and a sluggish economy, Ipsos pollster Cliff Young said.
“It’s a much tighter race and Romney became much more presidential in people’s eyes,” Young said. “Things are probably back to where they should be.”
Romney’s improved prospects have shown up in other polls, after the former Massachusetts governor launched aggressive criticism of his rival’s economic record during the debate in Denver.
Obama’s advantage had already started to fade before the debate as Romney recovered from a series of campaign missteps.
Adding to Romney’s chances is that in the Reuters poll and several other national polls, voters’ personal views of Romney improved across a wide range of attributes following the debate.
By a margin of 38 percent to 34 percent, registered voters now say that Romney is more likely than Obama to be effective in Washington.
The two candidates are now essentially tied when voters are asked whether they are tough enough and smart enough for the job, whether they have the right values, and whether they will protect American jobs. Obama had previously led Romney on these questions.
Obama is still viewed as more likeable, more eloquent and more empathetic than Romney by wide margins.
Information from Reuters was used to supplement this report.