Poll: Santorum Tops Romney in Pa.

Findings show Nov. election would be ‘too close to call’

Former U.S. senator Rick Santorum is Pa.’s favorite son in a new poll.

Voters give Santorum a lead of 36 percent to 22 percent over former Mass. governor Mitt Romney in the Pa. primary, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday. Texas U.S. Rep. Ron Paul has 12 percent, with 8 percent for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

In a head-to-head matchup, the margin for Santorum over Romney is 52-32 percent among Republican voters.

There’s more good news for Santorum supporters if he goes on to win the nomination and face Pres. Barack Obama in Nov. The poll shows Santorum with 44 percent and Obama with 45 percent, or too close to call in the presidential election. Pres. Obama leads in Nov. against Romney, Gingrich or Paul, according to the poll.

The demographic breakdown in the four-person GOP primary gives Santorum a lead over Romney of 41-18 percent among women and 30-27 percent among men. Among self-described conservatives the Santorum lead is 46-17 percent, among Tea Party members Santorum leads Romney 50-21 percent.

On Tuesday, the Independence Hall Tea Party PAC restated support for Romney’s presidential bid. The influential organization was the first Tea Party group in the nation to officially endorse Romney on Jan. 2, on the eve of the Iowa Caucus.

"Ultimately, we believe Mr. Romney is a man of principle who, once elected, will lead our nation back to prosperity," PAC President, Don Adams said about the 2012 presidential endorsement.

Voters give negative favorability ratings for all four GOP presidential contenders: Santorum: 39-44 percent; Romney: 33-43 percent; Gingrich: 25-55 percent; Paul: 30 31 percent, with 37 percent who don’t know enough about him.

Among all Pa. voters, the president’s favorability rating is a split 47-47 percent. The poll shows voters are divided 47-49 percent on whether he should be reelected.

The poll was conducted from March 7-12 among 1,256 registered voters and has an error margin of plus or minus 2.8 percent.

Find more poll results here.

The Pennsylvania primary is April 24, the same day as Delaware, New York, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

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