Though he still lags behind his Republican challenger in nationwide polling, President Barack Obama continues to widen his lead over Mitt Romney in projects for how the Electoral College will vote come Nov. 6.

With just more than a week to go before Election Day, Obama's margin of victory over Romney in The Huffington Post's electoral map projection continues to get bigger.

Based on the latest data from The Huffington Post, Obama has 277 electoral votes that he can safely assume will go his way on Election Day - enough to put him over the edge and claim a second term in the Oval Office. A candidate needs 270 or more electoral votes to win the election.

CLICK HERE to check out The Huffington Post's electoral projections along with its interactive map.

Romney lags behind at 206 electoral votes that seem destined to go his way. That's a small increase over the 191 votes The Huffington Post projected for him early this week, but it still puts him far behind his opponent.

There are a total of 538 electoral votes up for grabs on Election Day. According to The Huffington Post's data, 55 of those still remain too close to call and sit in the toss-up category for the time being.

The Huffington Post's data breaks down the states and their respective electoral votes as follows:

-Strong Obama: 237 electoral votes

-Leans Obama: 40 electoral votes

-Toss Up: 55 electoral votes

-Leans Romney: 15 electoral votes

-Strong Romney: 191 electoral votes

Earlier this week, on Wednesday, Obama's lead was not as big as it is presently. Though he was still far ahead of Romney, he only had 253 electoral votes safely in his pocket, which is 17 fewer than he needs to win another four years in the White House.

Tags
Barack Obama, Mitt romney, Presidential election 2012