The US president, Barack Obama, expanded his lead over Republican challenger Mitt Romney to 6 percentage points in the White House race this month as voters became slightly more optimistic about the economy, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Tuesday.
Four months before the November 6 election, Obama leads Romney among registered voters 49 per cent to 43 per cent. In June, Obama held a slim 1-point lead over the former Massachusetts governor.
Obama’s improved standing was fuelled in part by a slight rise in optimism about the future, with the number of Americans who think the country is on the wrong track dropping 5 percentage points to 58 per cent.