Santorum's lead disappears in national poll
(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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That's because Santorum keeps opening his mouth and inserting his foot.
After the crazy statements made by this guy im not suprised at all.
Santorum is clearly mentally ill......and it's mind boggling that he has any support at all. He needs to be taken to a facility where he can get some help, not run for President of the United States, leader of the Free World. I don't have much hope for this country's future if sick people like that are allowed to run for office.
What's interesting in this poll is not that Santorum's previous lead has all but disappeared. It's that Romney is not leading. It can't be a good sign for Romney that he can't pull away from the three other farcical candidates. If he's having so many problems with them, how in the world can Romney defeat President Obama in November? Answer: He can't.
CNN won't publish the *other* poll, which shows the results among ALL Americans. In that poll, Ron Paul is second to only Obama... and well ahead of both Santorum & Romney.
In fact, most people don't know that in New Hampshire, Paul not only placed 2nd among Republicans, but he placed 2nd among Democrats as a write-in as well.
To me Santorum has always acted like a teenage religious fanatic. He's steeped in ONLY political debating skills
without marketible experiences in running a business which Romney possesses. The U.S. Government is a major business in ours and world affairs. We need Washington insiders like we need a hole in the head. BUT, having said that- Obama is all but elected. These Repubs are wasting their time and money.
Thanks for playing our game, Rick, we have some nice parting gifts for you ON YOUR WAY OUT...
Testing, testing, is this thing working?
I hate it when a biased reporter shows a picture of a political canidate they are opposed to with an akward look on their face. It immediately removes any creditability from the rest of the article.
$2.50 gas once elected. You desperate silly man!
We are doomed. Oil prices is a big problem for everybody.
Who cares. They are all woefully out of touch with everyone except the extreme wackos on the right.
Thank goodness santorum's losing favor. Dude's a team player (follower) with no idea how to improve the economy with plans of declaring war on Iran (at least that's how it seemed in the debate).
I am not a religious person , but it is almost enough to make me believe in God if the country is wising up to Santorum. He is a demagogue. They always emerge in times of national stress and uncertainty. And he is a Torquemada (the Grand Inquisitor) in waiting. He believes America should be a theocracy, is anti science and anti environment. Be afraid, be afraid, be very afraid. For me he is the scariest candidate for president in my 82 years.
Mitt has the money .
How much did Mitt spend in 2008 ?
I can't believe over 1/3 of Republicans favored this guy, even for a couple weeks. His theocratic, Dark Ages rhetoric is appalling. Romney will win the nomination, it's all just a game until that point. Except for Paul, all the candidates are big government guys. You just need to identify who's big government is aligned closer to your views: the environment, progressive social reform, tax reform or big business, pro-pollution, pro-war, government making decisions in your bedroom.
@Jules: "How did the GOP ever end up with these choices – they used to be better than this."
It's all you're left with when all your economic, military and foreign policies are PROVEN FAILURES, benefiting only the wealthy, reliant upon fear-mongering and hypocrisy.
Obama/Biden 2012
Good news that Santorium's lead disappears. Romney is surely our Presidett who can bring this wonderful country back to the beliefs and standards its foundation relies upon. Romney is truly resolute in all areas and will stay steady w/out playing the dictotor of forcing stupid 'laws' out to the 'American People'. Obama's healthcare plan is frightening and MUST be taken out!!!!
Well I am a liberal so he was never trying for my vote. You've already lost(or never wanted) the unions, environmentalists, blacks, latinos, gays tolerant people,thinking people of all kinds But for God's sake pal do the math, women are over 50% of our country. Just go ahead and start your job at Fox News now.
When they call them do they ask for their voter id.?
Santorum's lead is shrinking because CNN is reporting it is shrinking. You can't tell me for one minute that this is not influencing the voting. Shut up CNN–Your numbers are probably pulled out of your hat or some bogus pole that means nothing. I'm not a Santorum fan but enough is enough of trying to influence the voters. Just report the news, don't make the news as you see it.
What a flaccid field of failed clown car candidates, with none of them offering any new ideas or anything beyond the GOBP deathcult's usual fear, lies, ignorance and hate.
Romney will win. Santorum should stop attacking him so much if he wants the VP job.
Why I voted for Obama in 08 and won't in 2012:
October, 2007, Barack Obama: “I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank. “
Vote for Mitt Romney!!