FAIRFAX, Va. – Mitt Romney was still celebrating his widely praised debate performance when the campaign lurched in a different direction.

Unemployment dropped last month to the lowest level since 2009, and suddenly it was President Barack Obama’s turn to smile.

In a race dominated by the weak economy, Obama said Friday the creation of 114,000 jobs in September, coupled with a drop in unemployment to 7.8 percent, was “a reminder that this country has come too far to turn back now.” Jabbing at his rival’s plans, he declared, “We’ve made too much progress to return to the policies that caused this crisis in the first place.”