Santorum Loses Major Lead Over Romney
A Gallup survey taken Feb. 22-24 questioned 1,153 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents by telephone. The survey showed that Santorum had 31 percent of their support, a drop of five points from his peak on Wednesday.
Romney had 30 percent of the support, a boost from 25 percent on Wednesday. His campaign is beginning a new round of fundraising after Santorum's surprising success in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri, The New York Times reported.
Romney campaigned in his native state of Michigan Saturday in preparation for Tuesday’s Michigan and Arizona primaries. The Associated Press reported that he focused on central and southeast Michigan’s urban and industrial centers.
While in Lansing, the AP reported, Romney accused Santorum of caving to party leaders on issues he opposed, such as financing Planned Parenthood. Later in Flint, Romney implied Santorum is a Washington, D.C., insider by saying, “I don’t have any political payoffs I have to make.”
The AP reported:
Romney tried to undermine Santorum's profile as an abortion opponent by noting Santorum's backing in 1996 of fellow Pennsylvanian Arlen Specter in the GOP presidential race. "He supported the pro-choice candidate," Romney told more than 2,000 at a forum in Troy put on by a tea party umbrella group. Santorum spoke to the group, Americans for Prosperity, earlier Saturday.
Santorum, who has portrayed himself as a loyal conservative and is popular among evangelical conservatives, ridiculed Romney's claims.
"It is absolutely laughable to have a liberal governor of Massachusetts suggest that I am not a conservative," Santorum said to cheers to the same group. "He repeatedly gets up and says all these things that he didn't do that he did do. Folks, this is an issue of trust."
Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul saw no change in Gallup polls. CNN reported that Gingrich stood at 16 percent and Paul at 11 percent.
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Reach executive producer Agnus Dei Farrant here.