Fox News Poll: Santorum Surges Nationally After Three-State Sweep [Ties Romney at 30%; Gingrich 16%]

FoxNews ^ | February 09, 2012 | Dana Blanton

[Steelfish]

Fox News Poll: Santorum Surges Nationally After Three-State Sweep By Dana Blanton February 10, 2012

Rick Santorum has surged nationally in the race for the 2012 Republican nomination after his three-state sweep this week, while Mitt Romney has lost ground among GOP primary voters. In addition, most GOP voters say the nomination race isn’t over -- someone other than Romney could still win. That’s according to a Fox News poll released Friday.

The new poll was conducted over four nights this week -- Monday through Thursday -- so it provides a unique opportunity to compare Santorum’s support before and after his wins in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri. And the results are striking.

Click here to view full Fox News poll results.

In interviews conducted on Monday and Tuesday nights -- immediately before the news of his victories -- Santorum received the backing of 17 percent of GOP primary voters. That was well behind Romney (35 percent) and Newt Gingrich (26 percent), and slightly ahead of Ron Paul (14 percent).

In interviews conducted on Wednesday and Thursday nights -- after his wins -- Santorum’s support nearly doubled, which put him tied at the top with Romney for those two days at 30 percent. That’s an increase of 13 percentage points. Over the last two nights, Romney also received 30 percent, a drop of 5 points. Gingrich came in at 16 percent, down 10 points. Paul’s support held steady at 15 percent.

Looking at the results from all four nights of this week’s interviewing, Romney retains his frontrunner spot with 33 percent, followed by Santorum at 23 percent, Gingrich at 22 percent and Paul at 15 percent.

[GraceG]

[ I would like to see a contest between Santorum and Gingrich. ]

Indeed, because if either won you wouldn’t end up with a crap sandwich.

Ronmney is a Crap Sandwich.

[BRL]

So we are staking our hopes on a guy that couldn’t win his own seat in his own state?

Yes.

Kennedy never lost his senate seat. He would have been a great candidate?

[over3Owithabrain]

LOL at all the cannibals around here who called Santorum every name in the book saying he should drop out for the Great Newt. Just lol

[rwfromkansas]

You do realize it is not even Mid-February really at this point. Just barely.

Lots of time before Super Tuesday.

[org.whodat]

Duh, that is what is going on, the rabbit (noot), just got lapped by the tortoise.

[RygelXVI]

Gallup tracking is generally consistent with the FoxNews result:

Today's result from Feb 3rd - Feb 9th (2/3 before Iowa, 1/3 after):

Romney 34% (-2)
Santorum 22% (+2)
Gingrich 18% (-2)
Paul 10% (E)

[GraceG]

[ Even the latest in this series, Newt Two Point Oh, brought with him worries as to whether his airport caravan sized train of “baggage” might allow Barack Obama’s reelection team to make the race an archaeological dig into the former speaker’s lengthy history rather than a referendum on the wreckage left in the wake of Obama’s first three years in office. ]

[But following his impressive hat trick [1] on February 7th, we are now faced with a different possibility in the person of former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. (Or, as he was known through the course of the first 349 debates, “that guy at the last lectern who never gets any questions.”) ]

I could imagine Mark Steyn reciting this.

[Right_in_Virginia]

COME ON FREEPERS. THIS IS A GOOD THING!!!

Why is this a good thing? The only thing we really know for sure about him --- his unrelenting and often seen as sanctimonious pro-life social focus --- is precisely what will turn off the majority of Americans, particularly women.

But, let's cross our fingers and hope there's nothing in his tax returns. Let's cross our toes and hope he doesn't sign another TARP, let's just cover our eyes and ignore that he has neither private sector management NOR Congressional management experience.

But, hell, I'll play: YEAH!!! SANTORUM WILL SAVE US!! WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' PENNSYLVANIA TO WIN IN NOVEMBER!!

[Lady Lucky]

Romney can now conclude he has destroyed Gingrich, and be pleased to confront Santorum.
Just as Obama would be pleased to know he can confront Romney.

Have weak opponents if you want to win.
Among the blind the one-eyed man is king.

Make no mistake, Romney can easily beat Santorum.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

[livius]

I hope so - in a lot of ways, I think what finished Romney is that he lost to the one who had so far been the least popular in the race. That shows you how little the average GOP voter likes Romney.

I’m not sure I’d vote for Santorum myself because he reminds me of Jimmy Carter, he’s prissy, self-righteous and I simply don’t like him; in addition, I haven’t heard any particularly impressive ideas from him and his Senate career was pretty undistinguished. Furthermore, he was left untouched in the primaries because Romney had written him off and didn’t bother to rev up the destruction machine, so he hasn’t received the exposure of the other candidates.

If it comes down to a contest between Santorum and Gingrich, I’m sure Gingrich will win. But I do think that this Santorum win has really finished Romney, and that’s a good thing. A very good thing.

[pgkdan]

So we are staking our hopes on a guy that couldn’t win his own seat in his own state?

That's a tired arguement. He WON a lot more elections before he lost that last one. And he lost in 2006. A year when a whole helluva lot of Republicans lost. He lost to the namesake son of a very well liked, pro-life democrat former Governor. He lost in the wake of the Mark Foley scandal. He lost in part because American's were starting to lose faith in the GOP Congress and W (for good reason) and he lost because he played to good soldier and went against his beliefs and personal inclinations to do the sitting President's bidding by endorsing Arlen Spectre 2 years earlier.

That was then. This is now!

[GoCards]

loved to be pinged. Thank you

[jim_trent]

Rick Santorum is no Abraham Lincoln.

And, no, I am not and never was a Romneybot (or a Paulbot for that matter).

[pgkdan]

Shove this crap up your paulbot butt.

[RygelXVI]

Rick Santorum is no Abraham Lincoln.

Neither is he Ronald Reagan.

Last I checked, neither of those guys is running.

[Scythian]

So we are staking our hopes on a guy that couldn’t win his own seat in his own state?

Yes, we are ...

Lincoln was a champion and he never gave up. Here is a sketch of Lincoln's road to the White House:

• 1816: His family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them.

• 1818: His mother died.

• 1831: Failed in business.

• 1832: Ran for state legislature - lost.

• 1832: Also lost his job - wanted to go to law school but couldn’t get in.

• 1833: Borrowed some money from a friend to begin a business and by the end of the year he was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off this debt.

• 1834: Ran for state legislature again - won.

• 1835: Was engaged to be married, sweetheart died and his heart was broken.

• 1836: Had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months.

• 1838: Sought to become speaker of the state legislature - defeated.

• 1840: Sought to become elector - defeated.

• 1843: Ran for Congress - lost.

• 1846: Ran for Congress again - this time he won - went to Washington and did a good job.

• 1848: Ran for re-election to Congress - lost.

• 1849 Sought the job of land officer in his home state - rejected.

• 1854: Ran for Senate of the United States - lost.

• 1856: Sought the Vice-Presidential nomination at his party’s national convention - got less than 100 votes.

• 1858: Ran for U.S. Senate again - again he lost.

• 1860: Elected president of the United States.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Careful there.

This thing is very volatile.

You just may well have to eat your own sarcastic, aspersion-casting words in the future and wear a Santorum for President button in the fall. Just sayin'.

[Anti-Hillary]

Have you ever heard of Abraham Lincoln? Sheesh!

[Ted Grant]

Don’t forget, Honest Abe was a champion pro wrestler.