President Barack Obama leads Mitt Romney by six points nationally among likely voters, according to a CNN/ORC poll released Monday.
Fifty-two percent of likely voters support Obama, and 46 percent back Romney (2 percent responded neither, and 1 percent had no opinion). That's a four-point bump since a poll taken before the Democratic convention in Charlotte, N.C., when the two candidates were tied at 48 percent. Prior to both conventions, Obama had 49 percent to Romney's 47 percent.
Obama took the lead as the candidate better trusted to handle the economy, with 50 percent of likely voters saying he'd do a better job on the issue, compared to 49 percent who favored Romney (1 percent said neither). Prior to the Democratic convention, Romney led 51 to 45 on the issue.
Democrats also expressed renewed excitement following Charlotte, coming out on the winning side of the enthusiasm gap for only the second time in 2012, with 59 percent saying they were extremely or very enthusiastic to vote, compared to 57 percent of Republicans who felt similarly.
Tracking polls over the past weekend showed a small bounce for Obama following the Democratic convention. Romney pollster Neil Newhouse acknowledged the bump, but dismissed it Monday as "a bit of a sugar high."
The CNN poll surveyed 709 registered voters by phone between Sept. 7 and Sept. 9, with a 3.5 percent margin of error.
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