Obama and Romney tied at 47 percent, new Gallup poll shows

Last month Mitt Romney made headlines for his controversial "47 percent" comments, giving a boost to Barack Obama's campaign.

But now, 47 percent has taken on a newer, sadder meaning for Barack Obama. After a poor debate performance, Obama has slipped in the polls. A new Gallup poll shows that Obama and Romney are tied at 47 percent. 

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The poll is the first three-day Gallup tracking poll completed since last week's debate, The Globe and Mail reported. In the previous three-day tracking poll, Obama had been doing much better, holding a five percentage point lead over Romney at 50 percent to 45 percent. 

People who watched the debate, even Democrats, agreed that Romney performed much better than Obama did, the Washington Post reported. Watchers agreed that Romney beat Obama by a 72 to 20 percent margin. Romney's 52-point debate win is the largest that Gallup has ever recorded, according to the Post. 

The news also comes after a new POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground Tracking Poll found a major enthusiasm gap between Democrats and Republicans. Only 73 percent of people who support Obama say they are “extremely likely” to vote, compared to 86 percent who support Romney, Politico reported.