MILWAUKEE, WI (WTAQ) - President Obama has pulled out to an eight-point lead over Republican Mitt Romney in the latest Marquette Law School poll released.

Almost 12-hundred-50 likely voters next Tuesday gave the president a lead of 51-to-43 percent.  It's a much larger margin than the previous Marquette poll in mid-October, in which the Democratic president only had a one-point advantage in a statistical dead heat.

Obama’s new lead is well beyond the poll’s two-point-eight percent margin of error.

He’s been the leader in 11-of-14 Marquette polls this year – but the size of those leads have varied greatly throughout the year.

Pollster Charles Franklin says independents have accounted for the latest swing.

Obama now leads 46-41 among independents, while the same gave Romney a 49-45 advantage a couple of weeks ago.

Franklin also said early voting has made a difference for the president.

About 10% of likely voters have already cast their ballots – and they preferred Obama 56-to-36. The rest wouldn’t say how they voted.

Marquette poll was taken last Thursday through Sunday.