The morning after the first presidential debate between Republican nominee Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama, many voters said Romney performed well -- even if they didn't support the former Massachusetts governor.

Republicans were quick to claim bragging rights after Mitt Romney's aggressive performance in the first presidential debate on Wednesday, while Democrats struggled to explain President Barack Obama's often flat showing.

Obama delved into policy in great and rambling detail, but never reminded voters of two of his most effective attacks against his rival: Romney's experience at the Bain Capital private equity fund and the secretly recorded "47 percent" video showing Romney criticizing nearly half the electorate.

Obama maintained an advantage in opinion polls prior to the debate. On Wednesday, he led Romney by 47 percent to 41 percent in the daily Reuters / IPSOS tracking poll, a margin that has held fairly steady since the middle of September. Other polls have shown the race to be a little closer. Obama holds clear leads in most of the politically divided states that are likely to decide the election.

Polling data taken after the debate was not immediately available.

With the November 6 election little more than a month away, Romney is running out of time to seize the lead.

Voting has begun in some form or another in 35 states, and 6 percent of those have already cast their ballots, according to a Reuters/IPSOS poll released on Wednesday.