Posted on 01/26/2012 6:57:57 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Mitt Romney’s performance in Monday’s debate turned out to be a game-changer after all. Three days after a Rasmussen poll of likely Republican primary voters showed Newt Gingrich up by nine points, a new survey taken yesterday shows Romney has an eight-point lead heading into tonight’s CNN debate:
Mitt Romney has jumped back ahead in the fevered Florida Republican Primary race with his support back to where it was before Newt Gingrich’s big win Saturday in South Carolina.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Florida Republican Primary Voters, taken Wednesday night, shows Romney with 39% support to Gingrich’s 31%. Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum earns 12%, and Texas Congressman Ron Paul runs last with nine percent (9%). Four percent (4%) prefer some other candidate, and seven percent (7%) are undecided.
That’s a ten-point drop for Gingrich since Sunday’s survey, and a seven-point gain for Romney. The momentum of the debate performance, and perhaps the renewed aggression on the campaign trail for Romney, seems to be firmly established in new polling. That makes tonight a must-win evening for Gingricg, and that probably means a lot of bloody knuckles for both men.
Let’s take a look at the differences in the internals. Very conservative voters still choose Gingrich as the stronger candidate against Obama, but that’s down to 47/34 from 56/24 in the earlier survey. Women had given a three-point edge to Romney on this question, but that has now jumped to 22 points, 52/30, and men now give Romney a nine-point lead where Gingrich had a double-digit advantage. The overall rating on this question now favors Romney by 15 points, 49/34, where Gingrich led by 3 on Sunday. Gingrich’s favorability didn’t change much at 63/35, but Romney’s increased to 73/25.
This looks like a very volatile race, though. A big debate stumble by Romney could reverse this yet again. However, with the tax issue off the table and every other line of attack likely to be a rerun, there’s a question about whether Gingrich can find another way to knock Romney off his stride as he did in South Carolina, or go after the media like he did to win in two debates there.
um... yeah
I swear I feel like Ive been kicked in the stomach. 48approval for dipshit and now this.
Newt pleaded nolo contendere in that debate, let Romney’s mud go unanswered. It was a mistake to try to brush it all off with a link to newt.org. He had the floor, had a nationally televised debate’s audience, and should have addressed it then and there.
Many people, such as my wife and I, have already voted, so the poll may not have much impact.
“Mitt Romney’s performance in Monday’s debate turned out to be a game-changer after all. “
Yeah. I’m sure it’s not all the attacks and misinformation being done to Newt from the left and right.
It was the ‘debate’...
B.S.
It will swing right back to Newt tomorrow after tonight’s CNN debate - which will allow the audience to whoop it up for Gingrich.
This makes no sense what-so-ever.
Even taking this poll as “gospel”, Rick S. has the margin Newt would need to defeat Romney.
I’ll bet that makes Romney rest much easier at night...
Drudge, Coulter, and Beck have done everything they can to destroy Newt and like I said yesterday that it appears to be working....
yes, I wanted him to address it then & there even IF it took up time back & forth. many people watching would be too lazy to go to newt.org in the morning. they needed it spoon fed to them right then, right there.
I know a lot of people here who will be voting for Newt regardless of what the bashers are attempting to do to him. After tonights debate, lets hope he gets a bump. Meanwhile, do all we can do to put him over the top in Fla.. A lot of seniors will not vote for Romney if they know he will not repeal Obamacare. My Democrat neighbors want it repealed. They are never voting Democrat again because of what the Democrats did to them voting for Obamacare.
“If you tell a lie long and loud enough, people will eventually start to believe it”
Every media outlet is 24/7 anti-Gingrich all the time.
Fox News yesterday was in full-blown pro-Romney/Anti-Gingrich mode.
Florida is having Romney shoved down their throats despite Romney’s unelectability versus Obama.
I no case will I ever vote for Mitt Romney. In fact, I will work for his defeat in the general election. That’s how certain I am that a man who would sign legislation taking taxpayer money to pay for abortions is evil.
A Romney/Obama vote is not about the victory, it is about the soul of the nation, and that is not rhetorical flourish. It is a fact.
It will be the first time that it is glaringly evident that we are presented with humanistic liberalism as our only choice.
Rasmussen was on Fox this morning saying that 25% of Florida voters have already cast their ballots and that among early voters Romney was leading by 12 points.
Ouch.
If Romney wins the nomination I am leaving the Republican reservation.
Be of good cheer...! If this race is really this close, Newt will win....!
He is the one surging, not Romney. Plus there is going to be a backlash against the establishment and the media for all the dishonesty spewed against Newt the last couple of day...!
Americans love an underdog and the media is really piling on now, both conservative and liberal and the people want stand for it. Its unfair....!
I hope Newt points out how hypocritical it is for a guy who’s top advisors are Fannie/Freddie lobbyists to be attacking him because his firm did consulting work for them.
I also hope he points out how hypocritical it is for a guy who claims to have never supported Reagan to smear him over his loyalty to Reagan.
What has Romney ever did for conservatism? Nothing!
Took a LOT longer than I thought, but the whole ex-wife business is likely finally filtering through women (conversations at the hairdressers, etc.) over time.
Big gender gap in the other polls as well.
Op/Ed
1/25/2012
A Brokered GOP Convention A Possibility?
The Republican presidential contest has been noted for its intense acrimony. But the hard fighting will produce a candidate ready to take on Barack Obama.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveforbes/2012/01/25/a-brokered-gop-convention-a-possibility/print/
I hope other dems and independents have their eyes that open.. could make a BIG difference..
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.