Rick Santorum is the TOP republican, edging out Mitt Romney, according to a new national poll.The surging presidential candidate has edged ahead of rival Mitt Romney in the race for the Republican nomination.
The former Pennsylvania senator garnered 30% support from Republicans and Republican-leaning registered voters in a new nation-wide survey by Pew Research Center. That’s compared to Romney’s 28% and Newt Gingrich’s 17%.
While that falls within the poll’s margin of error, it’s a significant jump for Santorum. In January, Romney had a 17-point lead over Santorum in the Pew survey.
“In the early GOP primaries, Romney has struggled at times in winning over the conservative elements of the Republican electorate – Tea Party supporters, conservatives and white evangelical Republicans,” Pew wrote on its Website. “The new poll shows that nationally he trails Santorum among all three.”