Supporters react following Obama, Romney second debate

MILWAUKEE -- President Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney met on the debate stage at Hofstra University in New York Tuesday night, October 16th for their second of three debates. This time, the debate was town hall style, where the candidates answered questions posed by audience members. Post-debate, Democrats are cheering what they call a clear victory for President Obama, while Republicans say Romney held his own.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett -- a staunch advocate for President Obama said Obama played offense during Tuesday night's debate, without being offensive.

"I loved the debate last night. I thought it was an excellent performance by the President," Mayor Barrett said.

Matt Romney, Mitt Romney's son said his dad laid out the fact that this election provides voters the opportunity to make a clear choice.

"President Obama came out with a little bit more aggressiveness than in the last debate, but my dad matched it very well," Matt Romney said.

One particular moment from Tuesday night's debate fired up some via social media.

Asked by an undecided voter and audience member about gender pay inequality during the debate, Romney said that as he was assembling his cabinet after being elected governor in Massachusetts, he questioned his staff for sending him only male applicants.

"I went to a number of women`s groups and said 'can you help us find folks?' They brought us whole binders full of women," Romney said during the debate.

"It led people to believe that he needed to have special help hiring women -- that he didn`t have a network of women he could contact or that he needed a binder of women to choose from," Mayor Barrett said.

"My dad did a great job of making sure women were well represented in Massachusetts. He`s always done that, and his chief of staff was a woman," Matt Romney said.

Tuesday night's debate was a sort of verbal boxing match, with each candidate refusing to hold back. Supporters of each candidate say they were left feeling satisfied.

"I think it`s going to stabilize for the President. Again, Romney got a bounce out of the last debate but if anybody gonna get a bounce out of this debate, it`s President Obama," Mayor Barrett said.

"I think you`re seeing polls tighten. We`re seeing people on the ground say 'the more I see your dad, the more I like him,'" Matt Romney said.

President Obama and Mitt Romney meet in Boca Raton, Florida on Monday for their final debate. This debate will focus on foreign policy.

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