Santorum clear front runner in US poll

Feb 20, 2012, 15:30 GMT

Washington - Former US senator Rick Santorum has emerged a clear favourite ahead of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney in the race for the Republican Party's presidential nomination, according to polls at the weekend.

The results released Sunday of a nationwide Gallup poll showed that Santorum, 53, was supported by 36 per cent of registered Republican voters, while 28 per cent supported Romney, 64.

It was the first time that Santorum has shown to have a clear advantage, outside the margin of sampling error, according to poll experts.

Realclearpolitics.com, an internet group that averages major polls, said Santorum was clearly in the lead in six polls - at 34 per cent to Romney's 28 per cent.

Gallup said that the former speaker of the House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, 68, was at 13 per cent, while Ron Paul, 76, the congressman from Texas, was at 11 per cent.

On February 28, Republicans in the industrial state of Michigan and western state of Arizona are to indicate their presidential preference.

Romney was once regarded as the favourite in Michigan, where he was born and where his father, George Romney, was a car industry executive and governor.

But Romney's strong opposition to President Barack Obama's bailout of the car industry has alienated many voters in the traditional heart of the US car industry, which was especially hard-hit by the recession. Most of the bailout money has been repaid, and tens of thousands of workers have gone back to revived jobs.

On Super Tuesday on March 6, 11 states vote at one time. The winner of the Republican race would face US President Barack Obama in the November 6 election.