(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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From CNN Politics
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Well, obviously nobody is fooled this election, but lets all make sure we show up to vote again. I can imagine many Republicans once again are completely let down. Almost feel bad for the party at this point.
I guest Romney's money is taking hold over santorum's ideology. Romney knows he cannot out right winged santorum, so he's letting his money do the talking. After all he knows how gullible some Americans are, and they will take the loudest Screamers, rather the guys with the facts and practical solutions. And believe me nothing screams louder than a few billion.
Santorums whole purpose was to fire up the extremist within the gop ,....What am I saying the entire gop is extremist now a days
Santorum scares the heck out of me as a female.
Granted, I am now, by choice, unable to have more children, but for my female sisters in this country who want to have that choice, I want them to have that choice and any other choice they may want to have in order to make the most of their lives.
One by one, the Republican clowns (candidates) have soared in the polls, and soon crashed. Ron Paul doesn't even belong in the group, because he's a Libertarian, not a Republican. People who send money to Ron Paul, should listen for the flushing sound, as their money goes down the toilet. Donating money to any of the Republican candidates, is money wasted.
Romney will be selected at the Republican convention in August, and Obama will win a second term in November. This is not to say that Obama is any kind of great president. He will win because the GOP doesn't have any solutions to our problems either, and deep down, the voters know it.
I love Santorum. I have many fond memories of Santorum. The best thing about Santorum, is that it can be for women, men, or both.
Mr. San(c)torum is just too too much...
The Pope is also VERY in favor of universal healthcare, Mr. Santorum. The Pope calls it an "inalienable right" for all people, all societies.
What's a sanctimonious cherry-picking Catholic hypocrite like you to do?
Then there's the painfully out-of-touch Mitt...
This country is blessed to be able to elect the current POTUS for another 4 years.
I told you he was just the flavor of the month. Just like the crazies before him, he will be gone in a few weeks.
Super conservative is scary. That is not what our country needs. We need sensible moderate leaders. Santorum is a whacko, very nuts. He cannot be a leader of the whole nation.
Hey Santorium...Just because you are a repressed catholic, don't take it out on the rest of us....Any so called "religious repeulican" who thinks you are going to govern like a theocracy, is sorely mistaken.
Big $$ bets...The poor are just jealous of the rich...I'm not concerned about the very poor...I have two cars and my wife drives two Cadillacs. Mitt doesn't get it and apparently never will.
Go Mitt, you are the best candidate and will make a fine president!
Too bad the republicans are not taking Ron Paul serious. He is the only real candidate still standing. Keep going Mr. Paul and the real conservatives will see the other three are too much to stomach.
Shut up everybody, Rick will let us catch up with Arab countries that use religion to control the stupid women.
Jules: these are the republican candidates because the good ones didn't run. They knew that EITHER Obama would get reelected (making them lose their chance), or they would win and inherit a bad economy - and risk becoming one-term presidents themselves.
Most working Americans do not care how much these guys have got in wealth . They just want back the bottom third of our of our economy that the Gop sent overseas to enrich their stock values. We are no longer in control of our own destiny.Global selling of food supplies to the highest bidder worldwide may bring on more Arabian Springs everywhere. Hungry people have nothing to lose. We have been sold out to raw free marketing. Control supply and demand and steal.
The reason the lead has disappeared is because Santorum's rhetoric scares the begeebers out of people. Even the most diehard bobble head Republicans know something is wrong with the tone of this man.
Comedians everywhere are holding their breath.
I'm not going to disagree that Romney is the richest one of 4 candidates, but I'm not going to say he must be the perfect one Republicans expect.
Rick Santorum dug himself into a big hole the last couple of weeks, and I doubt he will ever be able to crawl out. Most Americans don't want to go back to living like people did in the years before Christ, women in America certainly don't want anyone else but themselves telling them what to do about contraception, and their own bodies, and America certainly needs to educate its children, grandchildren, and young adults, from kindgergarten all the way through college and beyond. He has bashed every one who lives in America, in some way, over the last few weeks. It is time for him to go back to Pennsylvania live with his wife, home school his children, go to the Catholic Church every week, day, or whatever, and definitely go to confession so a Priest can excuse him for calling people names, including "snobs"!
Vet4RonPaul
I don't think President Obama is looking for or even likes war. He has been working hard to get us out of the wars Bush started. He has work equally hard to prevent future wars. Just because the simpletons in the republican party can't understand President Obama's foriegn policy dosen't mean it dosen't exist. He has done more to advance U.S. interest abroad in three years, than any President since Thomas Jefferson.
Before the Republican debates began, I would have guessed Obama's chances of re-election at about 30%. Now, after their circus has caused their party to self-destruct,, I think Vin Dicated is right - Obama will walk away with this one. Gingrich has shown he lives in fantasy land, Santorum has alienated women, and the sacred cow of the party - less government - has been destroyed by the conservative insistence that their brand of Christianity must be written into law. Dopn't forget that freedom of religion, means religion is a personal matter and NO brand of religion should be set up as the official religion of the government!.
I believe your self-righteosness is imploding, Mr. Creepy.
Sadly there is no difference between Romney or Santorum. The biased media talk about both of them 24/7 making sure we believe that they are our chose. America is tired of the media, along with their puppetmasters telling us who to vote for!