When Romney failed to get a bounce from the Republican National Convention, his last best hope was the debates – and in the first one on Oct. 3, he hit a home run. He was engaged, energetic, and reasonable, blowing open the caricature of him as an uncaring, out-of-touch rich guy. His poll numbers rose, putting him in a dead heat with the president. But by then, there was just a month to go before Election Day – some states had already started early voting – and little time to build on that success. Obama recovered enough in the second and third debates to quell Democratic fears that he was fading in the homestretch.
Charlie Neibergall/AP/File
