Ron Paul surges five points in latest national poll
The State Column | Staff | Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX), a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, can celebrate two victories Wednesday. Mr. Paul is tied with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich for 2nd place at the national level among Republicans and Independents, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday. Mr. Paul and Mr. Gingrich pulled in 17 percent of the votes each, while former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney garnered 29 percent of the votes.
The results of the Reuters/Ipsos poll were released prior to Mr. Paul’s 2nd place finish in the New Hampshire Primary. Whether Mr. Paul’s strong finish on Tuesday night will impact his standing in South Carolina or at the national level will be revealed in the coming days.
The results of the Reuters/Ipsos poll are a major victory for Mr. Paul, as the Texas congressman has jumped 5 percentage points since Ipsos Public Affairs last conducted a GOP poll between December 8th and December 12th. On the other hand, the results of the Reuters/Ipsos poll are somewhat troubling for Mr. Gingrich. The Georgia Republican’s support has dipped 8 percentage points among Republicans and Independents.
Mr. Romney has benefited from Mr. Gingrich’s fall from the top. The former Massachusetts governor has surged 11 percentage points in one month. After securing a strong second place finish in the Iowa Caucuses, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum has risen 8 percentage points.
Mr. Romney won the New Hampshire Primary Tuesday night. With nearly 100 percent of the voting precincts reporting, the Bain Capital co-founder has pulled in 39.3 percent of the votes, according to data from The Associated Press. Mr. Paul grabbed 2nd place in the New Hampshire Primary and former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman earned a 3rd place finish. Mr. Paul has garnered 22.8 percent of the votes and Mr. Huntsman has received 16.9 percent of the votes.
The Paul campaign offered its take on the results of the New Hampshire Primary: “When added to Paul’s top-tier showing in Iowa, it’s clear he is the sole Republican candidate who can take on and defeat both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama,” Ron Paul 2012 National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton said in a press release.
Ipsos Public Affairs surveyed 414 Republicans and 119 Independents from January 5th through January 9th. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.7 percent for Republicans and plus or minus 9.0 percent for Independents.