Nine percent of Obama supporters defect to Romney: poll

Nine percent of the 2008 supporters of US President, Barack Obama, have now defected to his presidential challenger Mitt Romney, a new poll has said.

"Nine percent of 2008 Obama voters have switched to supporting Romney this year, while five percent of McCain voters have switched to Obama," the Gallup said, revealing the results of its latest surveys.

As many as 86 percent of voters who say they voted for Obama in 2008 are backing Obama again this year, a smaller proportion than the 92 percent of 2008 John McCain voters who are supporting 2012 Republican candidate Romney, it said. The results, Gallup said, are based on July 23-29 Gallup Daily tracking with more than 2,000 registered voters who reported voting in the 2008 election.

Of these, 48 percent said they voted for Obama and 42 percent McCain, with the remaining 10 percent saying they voted for another candidate or not disclosing their vote choice.

However, the six-percentage-point advantage in reported voting for Obama is similar to the actual seven-point edge he had over McCain in the final 2008 returns, 53 percent to 46 percent, it said.

Obama and Romney have been tightly matched so far this year, with the two generally tied or one having a slim one- or two-point advantage among registered voters in Gallup Daily tracking.