Gallup poll: Romney’s ‘favorable’ rating jumps

Mitt Romney's public image appears to be rebounding.

A new Gallup poll finds 50 percent of Americans polled have a "favorable" view of the presumptive Republican nominee—an 11-point jump since February. According to Gallup, that's the highest favorable rating the poll has recorded since they began tracking opinions about Romney in 2006.

Romney's favorable rating is 2 points lower than that of President Barack Obama—which currently sits at 52 percent. But more Americans view Obama unfavorably: 46 percent, compared to Romney's 41 percent.

Romney's increasing favorable numbers appear to be fueled by his growing popularity with Republicans and self-described independents. Among Republicans, Romney's favorable number has jumped 22 points since February to 87 percent. Meanwhile, 48 percent of independents view Romney favorably—an 11-point increase since February.

But Romney still lags behind other past party nominees in terms of popularity. John McCain's favorable rating hit 67 percent when he won the GOP nomination in 2008, while George W. Bush's favorable rating was at 63 percent in 2000.

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