FXstreet.com (Barcelona) - Barack Obama's solid lead in the US presidential campaign has been seen waning ever since the first TV debate with Mitt Romney, held on October 3, during which the incumbent president's performance was listless and unconvincing. According to national polls, currently Romney leads by approximately half a point.

The considerable shift in polls following the candidates' TV appearance emphasizes the significance the debates have in the presidential campaign. Rob Carnell from ING predicts a possible negative outcome for Obama, should he again perform badly at the upcoming debate: “The map of voting patterns based on electoral college votes still shows Obama in the lead, but with Nevada, Ohio, and Virginia only leaning towards Obama by less than one percentage point, another bad debate by Obama would likely flip these states to Romney, and the 50 vote lead Obama seems to have currently would revert to a 20 vote lead for Romney.”