Manchester, New Hampshire (CNN) - Four days before the Granite State's first-in-the-nation primary, a new survey indicates that Mitt Romney remains the overwhelming frontrunner, and that Rick Santorum has cracked double digits.
According to a Suffolk University/7 News two-day tracking poll, the former governor of neighboring Massachusetts has the support of 40% of likely Republican New Hampshire primary voters. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas is a distant second, at 18%, and Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania, is at 11%.
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The survey, released Friday morning, was conducted Wednesday and Thursday. It is the first poll taken entirely after Tuesday night's Iowa caucuses, where Romney edged out Santorum by 8 votes to win the contest.
The poll shows former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 9%, former Utah Gov. and former ambassador to China Jon Huntsman at 8% and Texas Gov. Rick Perry at 1%. According to the survey, a rather large 15% are undecided.
Romney has been the frontrunner in New Hampshire polling for over two years. He is well known in the Granite State thanks to his years as Massachusetts governor (most of the more populated southern part of the state is in the Boston media market). Romney also owns a vacation home in New Hampshire, and besides spending lots of time in the state campaigning for the White House over the last year and in the last presidential cycle, he has also made many stops in the state stumping for fellow Republican candidates.
The Suffolk University/7 News poll was conducted by telephone, with 500 likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters questioned. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 4.4% points.
Also see:
Huntsman hits Romney ahead of N.H. primary
Boston Globe backs Huntsman
FIRST ON CNN: Santorum to make large ad buy in South Carolina
Santorum tangles with Gingrich, same-sex marriage supporters
McCain courting former South Carolina backers for Romney
From CNN Politics
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Santorum moving up is good thing for the Republican Party. The party needs to clean up its' image after the fiasco by House Republicans just before the holidays. Let's be honest. The most extreme elements of the right wing are challenging the more moderate establishment conservatives for control of the party. This nomination race could serve as boxing ring to settle it once and for all. It is what the entire Romney vs. Not-Romney thing has bee all about from the start.
Keep fighting Rick!
Wolf Blitzer yesterday wrote: It is not over yet for Romney. It looks like Wolf was right. With good news today unemployment falling down and the economy continuing to flourish, I do not know what Romney will campaign for now and look different from other contenders.
he won't be fighting for long.......he is just as looney as Palin and Bachmann......even more so......in late Jan early Feb–he will be a "hasbeen"
Santorum... so good he made the top 10 list in 2006 for most corrupt politicians.
Although he has NO chance of ever getting the nomination, Santorum is helping by keeping the "moderate" label on Mittens which is anathema to the red-meat base.
A santorum/rice ticket would make the liberal's heads explode!!!