Obama's approval rating increases to 50%

One possible reason for Obama's recent rise is the decline in gas prices, say analysts

US President Barack Obama's job approval rating has increased to 50%, extending his lead over his top Republican challenger Mitt Romney, a latest national opinion poll said yesterday.

While Obama's approval rating climbed to 50%, his disapproval rating dropped to 44% in Gallup's Daily tracking poll on Obama's support among US voters.

Gallup said the 50% approval mark is notable because all incumbent presidents since Dwight Eisenhower who were at or above 50% approval at the time of the election were re-elected.

At the same time, Obama held a lead of 49-42% over Romney, who is widely expected to secure his nomination soon after the Republican primaries in five states held Tuesday.

That marks a shift from last week, when Romney held an edge in Gallup tracking, the poll said.

Obama's job approval rating has typically been in the mid-40% range for the last three months, it noted.

One possible reason for Obama's recent rise is the decline in gas prices.

Rising gas prices have often been associated with a decline in presidential approval ratings, Gallup said.