(CNN) – Rick Santorum, who last week enjoyed a 10-point nationwide lead over Mitt Romney, is now within one point of his chief GOP rival after dropping several points in Gallup's daily tracking poll.
The survey taken February 22-24 showed Santorum with the backing of 31% of registered Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, down two points from Friday and down five points from his peak on Wednesday.
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Support for Romney rose to 30%, a much-needed boost for the candidate who stood at 25% on Wednesday.
For the ongoing poll, Gallup surveys more than 1,000 registered Republican voters on a daily basis. The poll drops the oldest of five days each day and adds results from the most recent day of polling.
In the latest survey, Gallup questioned 1,153 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents by telephone between February 20 and February 24. The survey has a sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.
The results Saturday include two days of polling after CNN's Republican presidential debate in Arizona, the final time the four candidates squared off before key contests in Michigan and Arizona next week, as well as the votes in 10 states on Super Tuesday, March 6.
The two other candidates in the race, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, were both well behind the two front-runners. Gingrich stood at 16% and Paul was at 11%. Neither Gingrich nor Paul has seen a change in his numbers since Thursday.
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No laugh track needed: Romney in Kalamazoo
Gingrich ridicules Obama over bailouts, energy plan, Afghanistan
From CNN Politics
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The only thing more erratic than Mitt Romney is the Republican voter.
Santorium is "fake" as stated and shown in the debate and has no vision. If Republicans have difficulty supporting a good Christ loving mormon how will they be able to accept people like myself of other beliefs? People who are not radical Christians have no choice but support a Democratic candidate.
This Republican race is making the United States look like a country of morons. George W. Bush did a great job in destroying any credibility we had by arrogantly sending troops into countries we had no business invading. Now along come the rest of the Republicans to finish the job by making us look just plain stupid.
All it takes is a debate to remind Americans that Romney is the clear choice to lead the GOP to a victory in Nov.
Santorum is the best guy for the job. A true American....not a dirty politician.
Is anyone surprised?
This guy is as crazy as a LOON.
Better served having Sarah Palin as president than this moron.
Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
The crazy train is running off the tracks? Oh no! Who coulda thunk it possible?
Be afraid, be VERY afraid, be petrified enough to vote for your own demise!! This guy is completely irresponsible and deranged. Good riddance.
Hang tough, Rickie; keep ole Mittens running to the right. Then we'll see some real flip-flopping in the general election.
This GOP primary season is the longest running Saturday night live season in history. Come on people Obama Biden 2012!
I don't think they were ever better than this. Maybe Eisenhower, but I was too little to know one way or the other at the time.
Probably the SAME 1,000 republican daily voters.... this POLL and Article... is classic cooperate political propaganda nonsense.... how are 1,000 voices of ONE party possibly representative of a country filled with millions of various political views?
Ron Paul 2012!
I was disgusted at the debate when Santorum started on about how he made a deal with Arlen Specter. Really, Rick, Specter would give you a blank check on supporting future unknowns in order to get your support today? Maybe that IS how Santorum makes deals, but I was glad to hear Specter himself flat out deny it. Gee, Rick, maybe you mis-read his eye-twitch as a wink.
The only surprise to me is that he nd Gingrich are still in the race. They are both nutty and out of reality.
He has no solutions. All he wants to do is use the govt to tell women what to do and to harass gay people. I can't wait for Obama to start serving his second term!
Santorum is a psychopath, who's 15 minutes are just about OVER. Romney is the only one that stands a possible chance against Obama (probably not enough of a chance...). I was hoping Santorum or Gingrich would win the nomination, that would make the general election much easier for Obama.
Mittens may be the only one consistently in the lead, but remember, people thought John McCain was better than Mitthew 4 years ago, and look how well McCain did against Obama.
I never could understand the Paul Bearers. Paul is racist, anti marriage equity, anti choice, pro isolationist, and would have let 1000s of GM jobs go down the toilet. So he wants to legalize drugs. Big deal.
Santorum is a nut case, who's 15 minutes are just about OVER. Romney is the only one that stands a possible chance against Obama (probably not enough of a chance...). I was hoping Santorum or Gingrich would win the nomination, that would make the general election much easier for Obama.
Santorum is such a loser. his 15 minutes are just about OVER. Romney is the only one that stands a possible chance against Obama (probably not enough of a chance...). I was hoping Santorum or Gingrich would win the nomination, that would make the general election much easier for Obama.
I think people are googling "Satan".
How sweet it is to watch Santorum dropping like a rock in the polls. Keep tossing out the religious baloney, Ricky. You'll soon be in the basement with Newt where you can both make santorum.
Also follow @TPartyVSantorum!
http://twitter.com/TPartyVSantorum
Bring back Huntsman. Oh, I forgot, he focused on the issues and had a plan. I guess the good do die young (or at least quickly in the GOP). Been a GOP member for most of my adult life but there is just no one running on either side of the aisle worth voting for. Seriously, too bad for all of us.
Santorum, like the previous GOP flavors of the month, serves the purpose of enabling the Christian right to remain in denial of the fact that they'll have to vote for a Mormon in November.
I agree with WIRE! these republicans are out of touch. We humanists/progressives are winning the war for this nation. We have the public schools. We are closing down the Christian orphanages as gay marriage becomes legal, and their hospitals will either close down or pay a huge fine!! Next a direct attack against the church to neutralize them. We taught them to be "tolerant' with us and they brought it. LOL!! Now we are putting them out of business... about time. We really can develop a NWO in this generation. Occupy Wall Street.... One World Sovereignty!