January 19, 2012 3:42 PM

Gingrich, Romney in dead heat in new South Carolina poll

By
Stephanie Condon
Topics
Campaign 2012

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich makes remarks to members of the media Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, in Beaufort, S.C. (Credit: AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has gained popularity in South Carolina in recent days and is now in a dead heat with Mitt Romney in the Palmetto state, according to a new poll.

Gingrich leads in the latest American Research Group (ARG) poll, conducted January 17-18, with 33 percent. Romney finishes close behind with 32 percent, while Rep. Ron Paul is in third with 19 percent. Former Sen. Rick Santorum earned 9 percent support.

Romney heads into South Carolina's January 21 primary as the clear frontrunner after virtually tying for first place in the Iowa caucuses and finishing first in the New Hampshire primaries. He also has a clear lead among Republican primary voters nationwide, according to the latest CBS News/ New York Times poll.

However, Gingrich appears to be making inroads in South Carolina, and today he won the endorsement of Rick Perry when the Texas governor announced he was dropping his own presidential bid. Perry garnered 4 percent in the ARG poll, and if his support shifts to Gingrich, it could be enough to give him a solid lead.

Is Newt Gingrich's surge for real?
What do South Carolina voters want?

In a South Carolina ARG poll conducted January 11-12, Romney was leading Gingrich 29 percent to 25 percent. Gingrich's rise in the poll can in part be attributed to Tea Party supporters -- 28 percent backed Gingrich in the earlier poll, while 43 percent support him now.

Romney is clearly aware of the threat Gingrich poses. At a campaign stop in Charleston, South Carolina today, the former governor accused Gingrich of being in a "fantasy land" for saying he helped create jobs during the Reagan years.

In addition to Romney's attacks, Gingrich will have to overcome any doubts voters may have about his character, particularly since his second wife, Marianne Gingrich, charged in an interview with ABC News that the GOP presidential candidate wanted an "open marriage."

In a new Politico/Tarrance Group poll of likely South Carolina Republican voters released today, 24 percent called "honesty and personal integrity" the quality they considered most important in a candidate. Just 18 percent said "fiscally and socially conservative" was the most important. In the poll, 66 percent identified themselves as born-again, evangelical Christians. And 80 percent said they attend church at least once a month.

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Newt Gingrich on the campaign trail

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Add a Comment See all 35 Comments
by Kake1977 January 20, 2012 10:59 AM EST
People need to turn their brains ON when listing to the
answers from these candidates, rather than judge them based on how passionate
their response is or make their judgments on how good of a speaker the
candidates are. If you really listened to Ron Paul's response vs. Santorum's
response when discussing our economic issues, Ron Paul hits the nail on the
head. It sounds good to lower the corporate tax rate to 0% for companies that
bring manufacturing jobs back to America (Santorum's response), but that is a
simple minded answer. This issue is much more complicated than that, and Ron
Paul tried to explain this in minutes, but if given the chance could talk about
this for an hour. Santorum and Paul are right when they talk about regulations,
and tax rates, but only Ron Paul see's the real elephant in the room, and that
it our monetary policy. And investors understand this as well. There is little
incentive for them to invest huge sums of capitol into the U.S. when the dollar
is this weak. And the dollar is this weak because we are printing too many of
them, our debt is this high, and the interest rates are set this low. In order
to attract investment capitol back into the U.S. we are going to need to change
course and reduce the debt, allow the interest rate to be set by the market,
and strengthen the dollar. Ron Paul won that argument HANDS DOWN!
Reply to this comment
by auvacom January 20, 2012 9:28 AM EST
MAKE YOUR VOTE ... COUNT..... every single vote for Dr Paul shows support for TRUE FREEDOM and economic recovery ...

Don't waste your vote

Even if he doesn't get the most votes .... the greater his numbers the better for you, our children and their children.

Don't waste your vote ... VOTE FREEDOM .......... VOTE .. RON PAUL.
Reply to this comment
by oldman67 January 19, 2012 9:55 PM EST
what you will get with either Mitt or Newt is a war against Iran in which many of American men and women will die. millions of innocent people in Iran will die and our children and their children will pay for the price of this war because we are still paying for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. in 2009 342 Us troops committed suicide. In 2010 while there were 462 killed in Iraq, 468 committed suicide. no record found for 2011. how many in 2012 because for wars being fought for both corporate America and Israel's Benjamin Netanayhu. Iran has agreed to open up their nuclear facilities for inspection. Iran, unlike Israel, signed the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty.
Reply to this comment
by 1988JAck January 19, 2012 8:07 PM EST
Not after tonight. Women will not vote for "open marriage" Newt. This is what cheating men say when they want to have it all. In his case, his political career, his mistress and his wife in that order. What overwhelming ego he has. Not fit to be President.
Reply to this comment
by netjunkie1 January 19, 2012 8:47 PM EST
Not to mention he was doing it while impeaching Clinton....real hypocrite..
by ebrough25 January 20, 2012 11:28 AM EST
Amen. I sure hope you're right about women not voting for Newt. Whether the open marriage comment was made or not, the guy lacks high moral character, and as you said, is not fit to be president of the united states. He was appauled at them asking him about it in the debate? We should be appauled that he thinks it's a non-issue!!!
by FormerUSMCSergeant January 19, 2012 6:55 PM EST
Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has gained popularity in South Carolina in recent days
-----

No scruples - no problem.

No ethics - no problem.

Sheesh.
Reply to this comment
by chonder2 January 19, 2012 6:50 PM EST
It's scary that SC is just next door.

The state that may OK a sociopath/carpetbagger for their president.
Reply to this comment
by carolo43 January 19, 2012 6:46 PM EST
I actually hope Gingrich wins this one. That will be Iowa for Santorum, New Hamshire for Romney and South Carolina for Gingrich. That's unless Iowa needs another year to figure out who won their screwed up voting system.
Reply to this comment
by ebrough25 January 20, 2012 11:31 AM EST
Wow..... Our country is not safe in the hands of voters like you who are willing to ignore the glaring lack of high moral character that gingrich has. ANYONE but Gingrich!!!!
by noloyalisti January 19, 2012 6:21 PM EST
There is no news about this in the Top 1% corporation media but don't forget that tomorrow Friday, January 20th is a nationwide Occupy the Courts action to protest the tragic Citizens United. Complete listing of actions at https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=212543303386647618890.0004b3214495abde956d0&msa=0&ll=52.908902,-106.875&spn=13.828201,43.110352
Reply to this comment
by dzaffina January 19, 2012 6:15 PM EST
Gingrich, Romney dead beats in new South Carolina poll. and santorum won iowa. the republicans don't even want these candidates and they think the rest of the sane americans want them.
Reply to this comment
by voxtrot January 19, 2012 5:54 PM EST
I hope this race stays neck and neck all the way to the end...You cannot get better entertainment value anywhere. The script is Ripe with tax returns, ex wives, off shore bank accounts and the, questioning of capitalism by a "Reagan Consrevitive".

You cannot write better stuff than this...Honestly. These players are cast straight out of central casting - you got the looney old man, the wall street barron, the perfectly cast hypocritical lifetime politician, and Rick Santorum playing Andy Samberg- playing Rick Santorum on SnL. Perry played the forgetful and mind wondering (yet affible) little brother. The only one hard to typecast was huntsman - But he didn't last long.
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