Santorum opens wide lead over Romney in latest poll

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Washington, Feb.13: Powered by a new national poll, plus an infusion of campaign cash thanks to victories in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum appears to have opened a wide lead over former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in his home state of Michigan.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, the latest CPAC straw poll of conservative activists suggests that the real political energy seems to have shifted to Santorum.

All Santorum needs to do now is to maintain momentum and he has already called Romney “desperate” and predicted that he would do “exceptionally well” in the next major primary election in Michigan.

“We’re going to spend a lot of time in Michigan and Arizona, and those are up next. And that’s where we’ve really been focusing on,” Santorum told ABC’s “This Week.”

Santorum suggested that a strong showing in those contests would make the presidential contest “a two-man race,” dismissing current rivals Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul.

The Real Clear Politics polling average ranks them this way: Romney 30.6 percent, Santorum 24.8 percent, Gingrich 20.2 percent, and Paul 13.6 percent.

In the same poll averaging, Obama is 10.3 points ahead of Santorum but just 4.3 percentage points ahead of Romney.

The Intrade prediction market gives Romney a 79 percent chance of winning the GOP nomination; Santorum has just a 13 percent chance, according to Intrade.

But in a new Public Policy Polling (PPP) national poll of usual Republican primary voters, released Saturday, Santorum is at 38 percent to 23 percent for Romney, 17 percent for Gingrich, and 13 percent for Paul.

As he has elsewhere, Santorum ranks high in favorability here – 64 percent positive to 22 percent negative. That’s much better than Romney (44-43) or Gingrich (42-44). “Republicans are significantly souring on both Romney and Gingrich,” PPP reports. (ANI)