Slide Over

It appears that the debate Friday night, which many observers thought Barack had won, did nothing to change to race, or perhaps moved it towards McCain. Both daily tracking polls now show that McCain's slide in the polls, which began when the Wall Street crisis began, is over.

Barack's 8 point lead from yesterday has dropped back to 6% according the the Gallup poll. Rasmussen also shows 6% separating the candidates.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday—the first update with results based entirely upon interviews conducted following the first Presidential Debate--shows Barack Obama attracting 51% of the vote while John McCain earns 45%. Obama opened a five-point lead heading into Friday’s debate and has retained a five or six point edge every day since.

Surprisingly, the debate, in which he went toe to toe with McCain on international affairs, didn't help Barack on the experience question.

Forty-six percent (46%) now say that Obama is too inexperienced to be President, 29% say McCain is too old.

The end of the Obama surge is reflected in numbers from Colorado, where Barack is making the traditionally Republican state competitive.

The latest Fox News/Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Colorado finds Barack Obama attracting 49% of the vote while John McCain earns 48%.

A week ago, a Rasmussen Reports survey found Obama with a three-point advantage. Two weeks ago, McCain had a two-point advantage in a Fox News/Rasmussen Reports poll.

Likewise in Virginia.

The latest Fox News/Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Virginia finds Barack Obama leading John McCain 50% to 47%.

This is the second consecutive poll in which Obama has held the advantage in the toss-up state—he had a five percentage points advantage in a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted just four days ago. A week ago, McCain held a two-point edge in the previous Fox News/Rasmussen Reports poll. Other than Obama’s five point edge last week, neither candidate led by more than three points since March.