Romney edges ahead in new Ohio poll, led by support among women
Mitt Romney greets supporters
Mitt Romney has taken a lead over rival Rick Santorum in the latest poll of likely Republican primary voters in Ohio, a ten point reversal in just a week as women shifted sharply to the former Massachusetts governor.
Conducted by Quinnipiac University, the poll released Monday found Romney leads the former Pennsylvania senator 34 percent to 31 percent among likely Republican voters, compared to a poll released a week ago showing Santorum with 36 percent to Romney's 29 percent.
Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said Romney is clearly the momentum candidate "with the wind at his back," though the three-point margin makes it too close to call just one day before Ohio voters head to the polls.
"Just as he did in Florida and Michigan, Romney has erased a sizable deficit a week before the primary to grab the momentum in the final 24 hours," Brown said.
In a separate poll from Suffolk University, Santorum remained ahead of Romney, 37 percent to 33 percent.
In the Suffolk poll, 33 percent of likely voters said that Santorum hews closer to their political beliefs than the other three Republican hopefuls, while 44 percent said Romney had the best chance of beating Mr. Obama in the general election.
"The Ohio GOP primary narrative symbolizes the political tug of war that is playing out across the country right now," said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center.
"Republican voters are pondering whether to select the candidate who shares their political beliefs or the candidate with the best chance of beating Barack Obama," Paleologos said.
While Santorum held his lead over Romney among men, 34 percent to 31 percent, women are now backing Romney. Among women, Romney leads Santorum 38 to 29 percent in Monday's Quinnipiac poll, compared to a 37 percent to 33 percent lead for Santorum in a poll released just Friday.
And Santorum's support from self-described conservatives has fallen sharply, though he still has a slight edge over the more moderate Romney in the Quinnipiac poll. He leads that group 35 percent to 33 percent now, compared to a 40 percent to 27 percent lead three days earlier.
A third poll, from American Research Group, showed Romney leading Santorum 35 percent to 28 percent.
In addition to the Buckeye state, voters in Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia head to the polls on "Super Tuesday," as the early March contest has come to be known.
Ohio is considered the most important of the states as it will be crucial for the Republican candidate to win Ohio in the general election seven months from now.
All told, more than 400 delegates are at stake Tuesday, more than the roughly 300 that have been awarded in the dozen contests already decided. A candidate needs to win 1144 of the 2286 available delegates to capture the nomination.
Romney, who has about 187 delegates to date, according to CBS News estimates, has won the four most recent contests, including Washington state on Saturday. Santorum last won on February 7, when his hat trick of victories included Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri. He has about 65 delegates thus far, according to CBS News estimates.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, whose South Carolina win January 21 is his only, garnered 15 percent support in the Quinnipiac poll, with Texas Rep. Ron Paul taking about 12 percent. Paul has not yet won any contests, though he does have about 20 delegates, according to CBS News estimates.
The Ohio Quinnipiac telephone poll of 753 likely Republican primary voters was conducted March 2 through March 4 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
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I understand that there is concern that Santorum focuses too much on social issues and not enough on jobs and fiscal issues. Anyone who saw Huckabee's Fox News Forum on jobs will know that Santorum has correct and workable solutions to job creation, energy, and other issues. We need full-spectrum conservatives like Rick Santorum and Congressman Allen West, not one-dimensional "I can fix the economy" candidates as is the case with the other three in the race.
The other candidates may very well correct the economic and some other disasters created by Obama but the root causes of those detrimental policies will remain and will return the next time a Democrat or moderate/liberal Republican is in office.
Santorum offers the real possibility that the principle causes of all that ails America will be rectified with a focus on social issues. "Social issues" is just a euphemism for the Judeo-Christian principles intended by the Founding Fathers to be the immutable foundation for this nation. The moral codes, ethical standards, and positive virtues that defined America have been severely eroded since Kennedy misconstrued Jefferson's comment on "the separation of church and state" creating the instability, insecurity, and misdirection on all other fronts--the economy, jobs, energy, international conflicts, crime, illegal immigration, entitlements, bailouts, infringements on the Constitution, and many more.
If Santorum and a potential vice presidential candidate such as Allen West are elected and can restore Judeo-Christian foundational principles (the "social issues") the other areas will fall into place as Santorum works to repeal and replace Obama's disastrous legislation and policies . Moral turpitude, ethical standards, and virtue on Wall Street mean a return to corporate honesty, fair play, and the common good; in business, "an honest wage for an honest day's work;" and in society, personal responsibility, industriousness, marriage, family, community, and nation. Neither Santorum nor anyone else intends to impose his religion or any religion, much less a particular denomination, on the government, the economic sector, society, education, and certainly not individuals. Striving to achieve a government and society functioning under some basic moral principles for the common good is a far cry from "imposing religion" on anyone.
But can he beat Obama? Absolutely, if everyone understands what's at stake and fights for it. The other candidates offer a temporary fix to be reversed by Democrats in the near future. Santorum offers a more permanent solution. If Kennedy's legacy of "confine your morality to inside your houses of worship and keep it out of government and society" can last 50 years, Santorum (and West?) could establish a 50-year legacy of Judeo-Christian principles guiding government and society toward the common good, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as the Founding Fathers intended.
Note: View Congressman Allen West's speeches on YouTube and check out the legislation he has worked on at his congressional web site.
Ohio and Tennessee, Thank you for voting for Mitt!
Did yall know that ultimately Romney is Rush's boss?
I have an idea about the "birth control issue". AS soon as "Men" start asking their bosses if they can take Viagra - we'll talk about women asking their bosses if they can take birth control!
Newt going to beat you in GA...
all I can say is the GOP contenders give new meaning to "Ship of Fools"
The'ye good for fodder for comedians ...and that about it!
Get real you GOP followers...the writing is on the wall
they are all on the Titanic?!
Independents disapprove of Romney by nearly a 2 to 1 ratio - 22% favorable, 38% unfavorable
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/05/10582427-first-thoughts-damaged-goods
He better start wearing double magic undies.....
That is funny!