Twelve for '12: A Dozen Republicans Who Could Be the Next President

[Dos Equis]

Florida as of today.

Romney:  37.&%
Gingrich:  22.7%
Santorum:  16.0%
Paul:  8.7%
Huntsman:  3.5%
Perry:  3.5%

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/fl/florida_republican_presidential_primary-1597.html

[Dos Equis]

CNN/Time Poll: Race for South Carolina tightening
Posted by
CNN Political Editor Paul Steinhauser

Charleston, South Carolina (CNN) - With three days to go until the first-in-the south primary, Mitt Romney remains in the lead in the Palmetto State, but according to a new poll, his advantage over Newt Gingrich is rapidly shrinking.

A CNN/Time/ORC International poll indicates that 33% of likely South Carolina Republican primary voters say they are backing Romney, with 23% supporting Gingrich. The former Massachusetts governor's 10 point advantage over the former House speaker is down from a 19 point lead two weeks ago. According to the survey, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania is at 16%, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas is at 13%, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry stands at 6%.

See full results (pdf)

Tune in Thursday at 8 p.m. ET for the CNN/Southern Republican Presidential Debate hosted by John King and follow it on Twitter at #CNNDebate. For real-time coverage of the South Carolina primary, go to CNNPolitics.com or to the CNN apps or CNN mobile web site.

- Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker

The survey was released Wednesday, on the eve of a CNN-Southern Republican presidential debate, the final showdown for the candidates before Saturday's primary, the third contest in the primary and caucus calendar. And the poll came on the same day that Romney and his campaign appeared to step up their attacks on Gingrich.

"Gingrich appears to be the only candidate with momentum as the race in South Carolina enters the final few days," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Support for Romney and Santorum appears to be slipping, and Paul and Perry seem flat. Gingrich, however, has gained ground and cut Romney's lead in half since early January."

"All of Gingrich's increased support comes among tea party movement supporters, where he's at 31% support, up ten points from early January," adds Holland. "That suggests that Sarah Palin's remarks urging South Carolina voters to choose Gingrich may have a receptive audience."

Among voters who oppose the tea party or are neutral towards it, Romney holds a commanding 30 point lead over Gingrich and the rest of the field of candidates. The survey indicates that born-again Christians are divided, with 26% supporting Romney, 23% backing Gingrich, and 20% saying they'll vote for Santorum. Among those likely primary voters who don't identify themselves as born-again, Romney has a large lead.

Nearly all the interviews were conducted before the Palin's Tuesday night remarks and before Monday night's presidential debate. Most pundits agree that Gingrich had a strong performance at the debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C. At the same showdown, Romney came under attack by his rivals for hedging on whether he would release his tax returns.

The Thursday night CNN debate could further influence South Carolina voters. And with more than four in ten likely primary voters saying that they could still change their minds between now and Saturday, a last minute surge for one candidate or another could materialize.

Florida's GOP presidential primary follows South Carolina's contest by ten days. A CNN/Time/ORC International poll of likely Sunshine State primary voters indicates that Romney still has a commanding lead, with more likely voters in his camp than Santorum and Gingrich combined. According to the survey, which was also released Tuesday, Romney stood at 43%, with Santorum at 19%, Gingrich 18%, Paul 9% and Perry at 2%.

"As in South Carolina, Romney does better among voters who do not support the tea party and those who do not consider themselves born-again Christians. In fact, he finishes second to Santorum among born-again voters," says Holland. "But, as with South Carolina, more than four in ten Florida voters have not made up their minds, and with the all-important South Carolina primary still in the future, the poll does not stand as a prediction of what will happen in Florida."

The poll in South Carolina was conducted for CNN and Time magazine by ORC International from January 13-17, with 505 voters who are likely to vote in the Republican primary questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

The poll in Florida was conducted for CNN and Time magazine by ORC International from January 13-17, with 391 voters who are likely to vote in that state's Republican primary. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus five percentage points.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/18/cnntime-poll-race-for-south-carolina-tightening/?hpt=hp_t1

[Dos Equis]

This essentially makes it a two-man race between Romney and Newt.

Perry dropping out of GOP race
Posted by
CNN Political Reporter Peter Hamby

Charleston, South Carolina (CNN) - Rick Perry is telling supporters that he will drop his bid Thursday for the Republican presidential nomination, two sources familiar with his plans told CNN.

The Texas governor will make the announcement before the CNN debate in South Carolina, the sources said.

Tune in Thursday at 8 p.m. ET for the CNN/Southern Republican Presidential Debate hosted by John King and follow it on Twitter at #CNNDebate. For real-time coverage of the South Carolina primary, go to CNNPolitics.com or to the CNN apps or CNN mobile web site.

Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @politicalticker

The South Carolina primary takes place Saturday.

It was not known immediately whether Perry will endorse another candidate.

Perry placed fifth in Iowa and last in New Hampshire - a state in which he did not actively compete - and had said he would launch a bid to win in South Carolina.

"South Carolinians are looking for a conservative candidate that will get this country back working again and I am it," Perry told CNN last week.

On Wednesday, CNN asked Perry about a poll that showed him with only 6% support among likely voters in the South Carolina primary.

He insisted he was continuing with the effort to have a strong showing in the state.

"We're convinced that that's our goal, so the idea that we're going to do anything else, other than try to impact this election is - that's why we got in it. We didn't get in it because it was our purpose in life to be the president of the United States. We did it because it was our purpose to serve this country, and that's what we've been called for, and that's what we're going to continue doing."

When Perry entered the race in August, he immediately did well in the polls. But a series of gaffes, particularly at debates against his rivals, sent his support plummeting.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/19/breaking-perry-to-drop-out-thursday/?hpt=hp_t1

[240 is Back]

This essentially makes it a two-man race between Romney and Newt.

santorum stays in and mitt wins the presidency.

santorum drops out and newt wins south carolina and things get interesting.

santorum controls everything now.

[Dos Equis]

No he doesn't. 

[240 is Back]

No he doesn't. 

well, that settles that.

[Dos Equis]

Yes, it does.

[240 is Back]

Yes, it does.

thank goodness.  I thought this would turn into a debate or discussion or something.  Let's try this again.

Mitt is leading 37% to 30% over Gingrich - A lead of 7 points.
Santorum is polling at 10% - and they're the far-right types that might vote for Gingrich over Mitt without Santy in the race.


[/b]
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/19/polls-south-carolina-primary-tightening-hours-before-crucial-debate/

[Dos Equis]

Santorum doesn't have enough followers outside of SC to impact the race.  He'll get a number of votes in SC, like Huck did no 08, but he will fizzle.  Romney will either win SC or come in second, and he's way ahead in Florida.  Santorum staying in or getting out isn't going to matter.  Just like Huntsman and Perry dropping out don't matter. 

I thought Perry could get some traction in the South, but I was wrong.  He made the right decision by quitting. 

[Dos Equis]

Starting to get interesting. 

Gingrich Surging In All Polls, Overtaking Romney
Thursday, 19 Jan 2012
By Martin Gould

Newt Gingrich rode into Thursday night’s Republican presidential  debate on a wave of support as four separate polls issued in less than 24 hours all had him surging ahead of presumed front-runner Mitt Romney in the vital state of South Carolina.

Gingrich’s strong debate performance Monday night, where he received a standing ovation after tussling with Fox News’ Juan Williams over welfare benefits, is being credited as the main reason for the sudden surge which has seen him eliminate Romney’s double-digit lead in a matter of days.

Now all eyes are on tonight’s debate in Charleston to see if the former House speaker can repeat his blockbuster performance or whether Romney can dust himself off after hesitating and prevaricating in Myrtle Beach.

A Newsmax poll conducted by InsiderAdvantage first gave evidence that Gingrich was in the catbird seat against Romney in Saturday’s primary in the Palmetto State. The survey, released Wednesday night, gave Gingrich 32 percent support among likely primary voters, compared to Romney’s 29 percent.

That poll was followed on Thursday by three more — all of which confirmed InsiderAdvantage's findings. First, Rasmussen Reports came out with Gingrich up by 33 percent to 31. Hours later, it was followed by a poll from the American Research Group (ARG) that had Gingrich up by 33 points to 32.

Finally, the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling (PPP) had Gingrich up, 34 percent to 28 percent, in the first of three nights of tracking going into the primary.

All four surveys show a remarkable turnaround over just a few days. The ARG poll showed Gingrich had shot up by eight percentage points in less than a week.

“This all shows the race is now Newt’s to lose,” InsiderAdvantage’s Matt Towery told Newsmax.

But he cautioned that it is not all over.

“Romney went into the last debate and he was flat-footed with his answer about releasing his taxes. Everyone who has ever debated can tell you that, no matter how good a debater you are, there are going to be off days," Towery said.

“The chances of Romney having a second off-night tonight are not that high.”

And he said that Gingrich is bound to be asked about allegations from his second wife Marianne that he asked her for an open marriage.

“Whatever his answer is, it is not going to be a comfortable situation for him, and if he flubs it, it could be worse. My advice would be to say this is last-minute gotcha journalism about something that allegedly happened 15 years ago, and then most people will forget it.

“But the situation is that Romney has nowhere to go but up, and Newt has nowhere to go but down,” added Towery.

Rasmussen Reports President Scott Rasmussen also told Newsmax the situation in South Carolina is very volatile.

“The reason Newt Gingrich is doing so well right now is that he is spectacular in the debates,” said Rasmussen. “He has, unique among anybody I’ve seen in a presidential debate, the ability to turn questions around, change the premise and make his points.”

Rasmussen said there are two clear camps among Republicans – those who are for Mitt Romney and those who are looking for an alternative.

“A lot of people would say, ‘Well, I really like Rick Santorum, but right now if Newt Gingrich is the way to slow down Mitt Romney, maybe I’ll vote for him.’ These are the kind of voters and last-minute choices that are going to make the decision” he said.

The polls were unanimous in suggesting that it is tea party supporters that have put Gingrich over the top. “A total of 43 percent of tea party supporters say they will vote for Gingrich,” said ARG, noting that the figure was up from 28 percent in its Jan. 11-12 survey.

PPP said its figures were “not a case of Romney imploding” but of Gingrich picking up votes from former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and from Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who quit the race after the polling was completed.

“It's clear that the debate Monday night did a lot to help Gingrich's prospects in the state,” added PPP. “Fifty-six percent of voters say they watched it, and with those folks Gingrich's lead over Romney is 43-27. Romney still has a 29-22 advantage on Gingrich with those who didn't tune in.”

http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/gingrich-surge-polls-romney/2012/01/19/id/424789

[Dos Equis]

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell backs Romney
Posted by
CNN Political Unit

(CNN) - Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell announced he was backing GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney Friday, saying his support could help Romney win Saturday's hotly-contested South Carolina primary.

"I'm a Southern governor endorsing Mitt Romney in the first Southern state primary," McDonnell said on CNN's "Starting Point with Soledad O'Brien."

Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @politicalticker

"The governor of South Carolina has endorsed him as well. I think hopefully that will help him some. He's the one that's been consistent. Other candidates have been up and down. He is the consistent, results-oriented conservative who has the best record and the best message on jobs and on cutting spending," McDonnell said.

Romney's campaign said McDonnell would campaign with Romney in South Carolina ahead of Saturday's first-in-the-South primary, including a stop Friday in Charleston.

McDonnell, considered a rising Republican star, has served as governor of Virginia since 2010, and also acts as the chairman of the Republican Governors Association. He is seen by many as a potential vice presidential pick for the eventual GOP nominee.

McDonnell singled out Romney's experience as governor of Massachusetts in his announcement.

"I'm endorsing Mitt Romney because I think he's the right leader at the right time," McDonnell said on CNN. "He's got a proven record of doing that in the public and private sector. I think he's the best chance to be able to defeat President Obama in November. So I'm thrilled to be supporting Mitt Romney. I've said for a long time a current or former governor would be the best leader for America, and he's the one I'm supporting."

McDonnell's announcement comes one day after another governor, Rick Perry of Texas, dropped out of the GOP race. McDonnell took over the chairmanship of the Republican Governor's Association from Perry when the Texan announced he was running for president, and the two are known to be friends.

Early in Perry's candidacy, McDonnell defended Perry after a weak debate performance, saying his stance on important issues would outweigh poor debate delivery.

"He's been in the race for three weeks. I'd say cut him some slack," McDonnell said in September. "People will forgive something they might think is an inferior debate performance if somebody's right on the issues."

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman also dropped his bid earlier this week. Neither Perry nor Huntsman qualified to appear on Virginia's Republican primary ballot.

In his own statement, Romney praised the Virginia governor's record on job creation.

"Governor McDonnell's leadership in Virginia is an example for the rest of the nation," Romney said. "Governor McDonnell has used the conservative principles of keeping taxes and spending low and creating a fair regulatory climate to make Virginia a top destination for job creators. These same principles can be used in Washington to fix our economy and make government accountable to the taxpayers."

-CNN's Rachel Streitfeld and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/20/virginia-gov-bob-mcdonnell-backs-romney/

[240 is Back]

good timing on that.  romney could use any good news today. 

that guy would be a good VP choice.

[Dos Equis]

Saw the second half of the SC debate on CNN.  Some observations:

- First time I've seen Romney disheveled.  Did not handle the tax question well.  Appeared defensive.  Undecisive.  Should have been better prepared. 

Liked his answer on immigration.  No amnesty.  Tighten the border, send illegals home and make them get in the back of the line. 

He did a good job responding to Santorum on the abortion question.  I haven't really looked into his pro life record as Mass gov, but he sounded like he governed as if he is pro life and Santorum couldn't really disagree. 

A couple of Paulbots were in the audience yelling.   

- Saw the clip of Newt being asked about his ex.  Great response.  Really punched King in the mouth. 

Did not like his position on illegal immigration at all.  He wants to give people who have been here 20 or 25 years some kind of preference to stay.  It's essentially amnesty.  Screw that.

- Santorum was dead on about illegal immigration.  He said someone who has been here illegally for 25 years has been committing a continuing crime for 25 years and shouldn't be rewarded.  And if that person is working they probably stole a SSN.  Dead on.

- Paul did ok.  He always does better when they don't talk about defense or national security. 

Ignoring him on the abortion question was a pretty blatant dis. 

I think he was wrong in his debate with Santorum about abortion being a state issue.  If someone is pro life, they probably believe life begins at conception.  If so, you can't have different standards at the state and federal levels.  It's like the issue of murder (or theft, perjury, etc.).  It's the same whether it's a state a federal crime. 

[Dos Equis]

Current RCP average for Florida:

Romney - 40.5%
Gingrich - 22,.0%
Santorum - 15.0%
Paul - 9.0%
Perry - 3.2%

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/fl/florida_republican_presidential_primary-1597.html

[Dos Equis]

Pretty clear that Newt won SC based on the last debate, and probably due to that stupid question that CNN started with about his ex, coupled with Romney sounding pretty bad on the (irrelevant) tax return question.  Palin's support probably helped too.

The exit polls show that 55 percent of the voters made up their mind within a few days of the election.

http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/primaries/epolls/sc

[Soul Crusher]

Pretty clear that Newt won SC based on the last debate, and probably due to that stupid question that CNN started with about his ex, coupled with Romney sounding pretty bad on the (irrelevant) tax return question.  Palin's support probably helped too.

The exit polls show that 55 percent of the voters made up their mind within a few days of the election.

http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/primaries/epolls/sc

It's not that.   Romney is the weakest to attack obama.   

[Dos Equis]

It's not that.   Romney is the weakest to attack obama.   

That's not it.  Romney is the primary one who directs his attacks to Obama instead of the other candidates.  If it was all about attacking Obama, Bachmann would still be in the race and would be the front-runner. 

[Soul Crusher]

That's not it.  Romney is the primary one who directs his attacks to Obama instead of the other candidates.  If it was all about attacking Obama, Bachmann would still be in the race and would be the front-runner. 

Bachmann lost when she went after perry. 

[Dos Equis]

 

Newt Surges to Lead in Fla., Romney Trails by 8 Points
Sunday, 22 Jan 2012

Newt Gingrich has now surged to a significant lead over Mitt Romney in Florida, leading the former front-runner now by 8 points, according to a new poll by InsiderAdvantage completed Sunday night of likely Republican primary voters.

The InsiderAdvantage poll of of 557 registered Republican voters is one of the first polls taken in Florida in the aftermath of Gingrich's double-digit win in the South Carolina primary Saturday.

The poll results follow:

Gingrich: 34%

Romney: 26%

Paul: 13%

Santorum: 11%

Other: 2%

No opinion: 14%

The InsiderAdvantage poll was the first major poll last week to show the significant surge for Gingrich in South Carolina.

"The poll shows a huge bounce for Newt Gingrich, coming out of  South Carolina," Matt Towery, chief pollster for InsiderAdvantage
told Newsmax. "It reflects the fact that Florida is a bellwether
for the rest of the nation."

He added: "Gingrich has been closing the gap nationally, according to the Gallup tracking poll, Florida is a reflection that Republicans nationally are moving toward to Gingrich."

He warned that the race is still “a very volatile situation…Romney s going to be loaded for bear and if Newt stumbles in a debate…it could be real trouble for him.”

http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/gingrich-wins-florida-poll/2012/01/22/id/425086

[MM2K]

That's the only poll that has Gingrich leading. All other polls have Romney up still by a healthy margin. Some still have him up by the 20s. The RCP average still has him up by 14.

[Dos Equis]

That's the only poll that has Gingrich leading. All other polls have Romney up still by a healthy margin. Some still have him up by the 20s. The RCP average still has him up by 14.

Not the only one:

Florida GOP Primary: Gingrich 41%, Romney 32%
Monday, January 23, 2012

Less than two weeks ago,  Mitt Romney had a 22-point lead in Florida, but that’s ancient history in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Following his big win in South Carolina on Saturday, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich now is on top in Florida by nine.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Florida Republican Primary Voters, taken Sunday evening, finds Gingrich earning 41% of the vote with Romney in second at 32%. Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum runs third with 11%, while Texas Congressman Ron Paul attracts support from eight percent (8%). Nine percent (9%) remain undecided.(To see survey question wording, click here).

Florida allows early voting, and Romney leads among those voters by 11 points. Gingrich leads by 12 among those who have not yet voted. Fourteen percent (14%) have already cast their vote.

One-in-three (32%) say they still could change their minds before they vote in the January 31 primary. Another nine percent (9%) have no initial preference yet. Fifty-nine percent (59%) are already certain of their vote, including 73% of Romney supporters and 62% of Gingrich voters.

Rasmussen Reports has begun daily tracking of potential matchups between both Romney and Gingrich against President Obama (receive free daily e-mail updates). 

Throughout the GOP race, Romney has always benefited from the perception that he was the strongest general election candidate in the field. However, among Florida voters at the moment, that is no longer the case. Forty-two percent (42%) now believe Gingrich would be the strongest candidate against Obama, while 39% say the same of Romney. At the other extreme, 64% see Ron Paul as the weakest potential candidate against Obama.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

This Florida survey of 750 Likely Republican Primary Voters was conducted on January 22, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology. 

Seventy-seven percent (77%) have a favorable opinion of Romney, while 69% say the same of Gingrich. Sixty-four percent (64%) give Santorum positive reviews, but only 33% have a favorable opinion of Paul. In Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, Paul did better among non-Republicans than Republicans. In the Florida primary, only registered Republicans are allowed to participate.

By a 45% to 30% margin over Gingrich, Romney is seen as the best candidate to manage the economy. Gingrich has a 54% to 23% edge over the former Massachusetts governor when it comes to who is best qualified to handle national security matters.

As for which candidate is best in terms of social issues, 30% prefer Romney, 30% Gingrich and 23% Santorum.

When asked which candidate has the best personal character, 41% say Romney, 30% Santorum, 11% Gingrich and 10% Paul.

Gingrich leads by 28 among Very Conservative voters and by seven among Somewhat Conservative voters. Among all other voters, Romney leads by 20.

Gingrich picks up 52% of the Tea Party vote. Romney gets 17% and Santorum 16% of these voters.

Regardless of their personal favorite, most Florida primary voters (52%) still think Romney will be the eventual nominee, but that's down dramatically from 79% two weeks ago. Thirty-five percent (35%) now think Gingrich will be the GOP nominee.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it’s free) or follow us on Twitter orFacebook. Let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/florida/2012_florida_republican_primary

[Dos Equis]

Gingrich Surging in Florida, Quinnipiac Poll Shows
Wednesday, 25 Jan 2012

A surging Newt Gingrich has the momentum in a tight race with Mitt Romney in Florida, a poll of Republicans planning to vote in the state’s Jan. 31 presidential primary shows.

Romney has 36 percent support while Gingrich is backed by 34 percent in the survey released today by Hamden, Connecticut- based Quinnipiac University.

The survey of 601 likely Republican primary voters conducted from Jan. 19-23 shows increased support for Gingrich following his 12 percentage point victory over of Romney in the Jan. 21 South Carolina primary. Gingrich led Romney by 6 points among voters polled after the South Carolina contest while Romney led by 11 points among voters surveyed before.

“Gingrich’s South Carolina victory clearly gives him a boost in Florida,” Peter A. Brown, the assistant director of the university’s polling institute, said in a news release accompaning the poll. “The question is whether there is more of that to come, or whether any bump from a previous victory will dissipate.”

Brown termed the Florida race “essentially a dead heat,” and said Romney and Gingrich are in a “two-man race” in the state, where the primary winner will receive all of the state’s 50 convention delegates. Former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, the winner of the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses, has 13 percent in today’s poll and Texas U.S. Representative Ron Paul has 10 percent.

Previous Polls

Romney led Gingrich 36 percent to 24 percent in Florida in a Quinnipiac poll released Jan. 9, the day before Romney won the New Hampshire primary by 16 points.

In a sign of the race’s volatility, Gingrich ran ahead of Romney, 35 percent to 22 percent, in a Quinnipiac poll released Dec. 8.

Today’s poll today shows that Florida Republicans see Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, as a better steward of the economy and a stronger general election candidate than Gingrich, the former U.S. House speaker. They see Gingrich, though, as better-prepared to serve as chief executive.

Romney led Gingrich by 17 percentage points on handling the economy and by 14 points on who is best able to defeat President Barack Obama. Gingrich led Romney by 19 points on “having the knowledge and experience necessary to be a good president.”

Gingrich also led by 27 points on handling foreign policy.

According to the poll, 61 percent said they have decided on a candidate while 38 percent said they could change their mind before next week’s primary.

Television Advertising

Gingrich rose in Florida even as Romney and his allies blanketed the state with television advertisements over the past few weeks. Romney and a political committee backing his candidacy spent $6.9 million on broadcast television ads through Jan. 23, according to data from New York-based Kantar Media’s CMAG, which tracks advertising. No other Republican candidate aired television ads through then, CMAG data show.

Winning Our Future, a political action committee supporting Gingrich while operating independently of his campaign, bought $6 million of advertising time in the state yesterday and released an ad painting Romney as aligned with Obama, said Rick Tyler, a strategist for the group.

The Quinnipiac poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. The margins of error were plus or minus 6.2 percentage points for the 254 voters surveyed before the South Carolina results, and plus or minus 5.3 percentage points for the 347 voters contacted after the vote.

--Editors: Don Frederick, Jim Rubin.

To contact the reporter on this story: Greg Giroux in Washington at ggiroux@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jeanne Cummings at jcummings21@bloomberg.net

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/gingrich-romney-tied-florida/2012/01/25/id/425405

[Dos Equis]

Wow.   

Rasmussen: Gingrich Leads Romney, 35-28 Percent, Nationally
Wednesday, 25 Jan 2012
By Newsmax Wires

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s victory in South Carolina continues to lift him nationwide, as a new Rasmussen Reports survey gives him a seven-point lead, 35-28 percent over Mitt Romney in the Republican presidential sweepstakes.

The two front-runners reversed spots from last week, when former Massachusetts Gov. Romney had 30 percent and former House Speaker Gingrich, 27 percent.

In the new national telephone survey of 1,000 likely GOP primary voters on Jan. 23, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum’s support is little changed at 16 percent, while Texas Rep. Ron Paul picks up 10 percent. Two percent prefer some other candidate in the race, while 9 percent are undecided.

Support for Gingrich has jumped a total of 19 points in two Rasmussen surveys since early January, while Romney's support has held steady, according to the polling firm’s analysis.

The national table-turning echoes that in Florida, where a pivotal primary contest looms Tuesday. Two weeks ago, Romney had a 22-point lead over Gingrich in the Sunshine State, but new Rasmussen Reports polling released Monday shows the former speaker with 41 percent support now among likely GOP primary voters in the Sunshine State with Romney in second at 32 percent.

Almost 40 percent of GOP voters nationwide now believe Gingrich would be the strongest opponent against President Barack Obama in the general election, while 37 percent say that of Romney. This represents a big shift from last week, when 43 percent viewed Romney as the strongest Obama opponent and 29 percent opted for Gingrich. More than 60 percent consider Paul the weakest general election opponent to Obama.

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/Rasmussen-Gingrich-Romney-Florida/2012/01/25/id/425483

[240 is Back]

Repubs are the dude with 2 ugly chicks that want him.  He bangs them both.  He goes back and forth.  He isn't crazy about any of them and woudl love to find a new chick, but these 2 trolls keep occupying his time lol..

[chadstallion]

Repubs are the dude with 2 ugly chicks that want him.  He bangs them both.  He goes back and forth.  He isn't crazy about any of them and woudl love to find a new chick, but these 2 trolls keep occupying his time lol..

The republicans:
1. the nine iron ones
2. the bass boat fishermen ones