In their first polls conducted partly after the second presidential debate, both Gallup and Rasmussen Reports show that Mitt Romney has extended his lead over President Obama among likely voters.

Yesterday, Gallup’s 7-day rolling average of polling showed Romney up 6 percentage points — 51 to 45 percent.  Today, Gallup’s 7-day average, which now includes one day of polling taken after Tuesday night’s debate, shows Romney up 7 points — 52 to 45 percent.  Yesterday, Rasmussen’s 3-day rolling average of polling showed Romney up 1 point — 49 to 48 percent.  Today, Rasmussen’s 3-day average, which now includes one day of polling taken after Tuesday night’s debate, shows Romney up 2 points — 49 to 47 percent.  These are early and partial returns, to be sure. But the initial evidence suggests that second debate might not have helped Obama as much as it helped Romney.