The Week in Polls: All Tied Up

A roundup of national polls from this week.

Americans Weigh In - Congress loses a popularity contest, the number of interracial marriages in the United States reaches all-time high, President Obama gets kudos for fiscal cliff dealings, plus more national polls. – Joyce Jones and Britt Middleton

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Eeenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe - The 2012 presidential election is poised to be a nail biter until the very end. Pity those voters who live in key swing states, where the attention from the campaigns may feel more like a blitz. But Americans have more on their mind than the election, and some worry that the nation's leadership status may be falling. Read on for the polls of the week.  – Joyce Jones and Britt Middleton (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Ups and Downs - The momentum Romney gained after the Denver debate may be fading. In a series of daily tracking polls, The New York Times reports, the Republican lost ground in five surveys and was tied with Obama in two. The president's numbers improved in five of the polls, and he gained about one point between the eight polls combined.   (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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Ups and Downs - The momentum Romney gained after the Denver debate may be fading. In a series of daily tracking polls, The New York Times reports, the Republican lost ground in five surveys and was tied with Obama in two. The president's numbers improved in five of the polls, and he gained about one point between the eight polls combined. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Advantage Obama - Early voting has its reward and in Ohio, the beneficiary is Obama. In a new poll from Time magazine, 49 percent of Ohioans who said they'll cast their ballots on Nov. 6 and those who've voted early said they're backing the president, compared to 44 percent who support Romney. Those who've not yet voted are evenly split between the two candidates at 45 percent.(Photo: J.D. Pooley/Getty Images)

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Advantage Obama - Early voting has its reward and in Ohio, the beneficiary is Obama. In a new poll from Time magazine, 49 percent of Ohioans who said they'll cast their ballots on Nov. 6 and those who've voted early said they're backing the president, compared to 44 percent who support Romney. Those who've not yet voted are evenly split between the two candidates at 45 percent.(Photo: J.D. Pooley/Getty Images)

Congress - Just 14 percent of respondents said they approve of the job that Congress is doing. The poll also found that 44 percent of voters said they prefer a GOP-controlled Congress, while 43 percent said Democrats should be in charge.   (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

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Congressional Approval - Could the increase in Congress' approval rating have something to do with the fact that lawmakers have been in their home districts since July? Though still low, in a new Gallup poll, 21 percent of Americans said they approve of the job Congress is doing, up from 13 percent in September.(Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

Rating Obama - A new weekly average poll from Gallup for the period Oct. 15-21, states the obvious: 87 percent of Black and 77 percent of non-white Americans approve of the job Obama is doing. At 87, 77 and 9 percent, respectively, Democrats, independents and Republicans, said he's doing a good job. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Rating Obama - A new weekly average poll from Gallup for the period Oct. 15-21, states the obvious: 87 percent of Black and 77 percent of non-white Americans approve of the job Obama is doing. At 87, 77 and 9 percent, respectively, Democrats, independents and Republicans, said he's doing a good job. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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They're Looking at You - Some of the panels will explore ways to open the tent to minority and young voters, including "A Roundtable Discussion on the Future of the Movement: Winning With Generation X/Y" and "Conservative Inclusion: Promoting the Freedom Message to all Americans." Does their message resonate?  (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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Uncertain Future - The majority of adults aged 18-39 are worried about America's leadership among nations of the world, with 71 percent saying that they fear American jobs are being outsourced to competitors, in a recent survey by Generation Opportunity. Fifty-five percent believed America will not be a global leader in five years if it continues on the same path. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Cease and Desist - The National Rifle Association has reached a new low, said two Connecticut senators after learning that the powerful gun lobbying group has been making robocalls to residents of Newtown. In a letter demanding it stop, they wrote, "In a community that's still very much in crisis, to be making these calls opens a wound that these families are still trying hard to heal."  (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)

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Just Hit Send - Mobile apps have made it easier than ever for voters to support their preferred candidate. A Pew poll released on Oct. 25 found that 10 percent of 2012 campaign donors support their choice through text message or mobile app, with Democrats being more likely than Republicans to take the digital plunge. (Photo: James Whitaker/Getty/STOCK)

Carry Only What You Need - Try not to overstuff your purse or wallet with items that you don’t need with you for that night — you might lose them or, even worse, they might get stolen. Take only the essentials: your cell phone, ID, subway/bus card, one debit/credit card and some cash.  (Photo: KEYSTONE /Landov)

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Feeling Rich - It's a slogan the Romney/Ryan ticket has been using for months: Are you better off since President Obama took office? In a Gallup poll released Oct. 24, 38 percent of Americans said they were financially better now than they were a year ago, up four points from 2011.  (Photo: Gaetan Bally KEYSTONE /Landov)

Dead Heat - Election Day is just two weeks away and the outcome is anyone's guess. In the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey, each candidate has 47 percent of support among likely voters. In addition, in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll the candidates are tied at 46 percent.  (Photos from left: Joe Raedle/Getty Images, Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

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Dead Heat - Election Day is just two weeks away and the outcome is anyone's guess. In the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey, each candidate has 47 percent of support among likely voters. In addition, in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll the candidates are tied at 46 percent. (Photos from left: Joe Raedle/Getty Images, Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Less of the Same - If Obama ekes out a win on Nov. 6, he won't be able to conduct business as usual. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found that 62 percent said the president should make "major changes" in a second term, 31 percent called for "minor changes" and 4 percent said no changes are needed.  (Photo: David Greedy/Getty Images)

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Less of the Same - If Obama ekes out a win on Nov. 6, he won't be able to conduct business as usual. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found that 62 percent said the president should make "major changes" in a second term, 31 percent called for "minor changes" and 4 percent said no changes are needed. (Photo: David Greedy/Getty Images)

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Demographic in Demand - Romney has experienced an uptick in support among Latino voters, but he'll likely never catch up to Obama. In a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal-Telemundo poll, Obama leads Romney among likely Latino voters 70 to 25 percent.   (Photo: AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

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Demographic in Demand - Romney has experienced an uptick in support among Latino voters, but he'll likely never catch up to Obama. In a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal-Telemundo poll, Obama leads Romney among likely Latino voters 70 to 25 percent.  (Photo: AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

The Fiscal Cliff - Congress passed a bipartisan budget bill at the end of 2013 with little fanfare, but don't expect the spirit of cooperation to extend to raising the nation's debt ceiling. Obama and Democrats say they will not negotiate over this issue and Republicans are unlikely to want to raise the debt limit without offsetting at least some of the cost.   (Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

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Economy, Economy, Economy - From the start, Romney has argued that he is the only candidate with the experience to grow the economy, and American voters may agree. The Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll found that 46 percent of voters believe he would best handle the economy, compared to 40 percent who said the same of Obama. (Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Venus vs. Mars - There's a gender gap in the presidential election and 51 percent of likely women voters in the NBC/WSJ poll say they find Obama more likeable and appealing, compared to Romney's 53 percent lead among likely male voters. In addition, 52 percent of middle-class voters said they believe the president would be better at dealing with their issues of concern, as did 53 percent of women.  (Photos from left: Getty/STOCK, Getty/STOCK)

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Venus vs. Mars - There's a gender gap in the presidential election and 51 percent of likely women voters in the NBC/WSJ poll say they find Obama more likeable and appealing, compared to Romney's 53 percent lead among likely male voters. In addition, 52 percent of middle-class voters said they believe the president would be better at dealing with their issues of concern, as did 53 percent of women. (Photos from left: Getty/STOCK, Getty/STOCK)