Barack Obama,  Polling,  President 2012

President 2012 Poll Watch: Obama Showing Some Modest Improvement – 43% Approval

According to the latest Gallup Poll.

President Barack Obama’s job approval rating has shown modest improvement in the past week. His latest rating, based on Oct. 24-26 Gallup Daily tracking, is 43%, and his approval has been at or above 42% in each of the last seven days. In the prior two weeks, his averages were generally at or below 40%.

More broadly, Obama’s approval rating averaged 40% from Oct. 1-19, but 43% since Oct. 20.

The increase in Obama’s approval rating could be tied to two recent major foreign policy events — the death of Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi and Obama’s announcement that virtually all U.S. troops would be withdrawn from Iraq by Dec. 31. Additionally, the U.S. stock market has shown gains this month, particularly in the past week.

The bit of positive momentum in Americans’ evaluations of the president reverses the generally downward trend seen in recent months, including a personal low 41% quarterly approval average in his recently completed 11th quarter in office.

Obama also enjoyed a rally in approval earlier this year, after the United States’ military found and killed Osama bin Laden. That rally persisted for several weeks before ultimately fading, with Obama’s approval rating declining further in subsequent months.

Even with slightly greater approval in recent days, Obama remains below where most other elected first-term presidents were at similar points in their presidencies. Only Jimmy Carter, with a 31% approval average in October 1979, had a worse rating in October of his third year in office.

The President has also been out on the road campaigning and campaigning hard.

In the meantime, the Republicans continue to decide who will be their nominee. However, it is becoming apparent that Mitt Romney will be contesting Obama next year.

President Obama remains in the danger zone for re-election.