Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has held a solid lead in South Carolina over the last week, as his victories in Iowa and New Hampshire propelled him into first in the Palmetto State. But a new InsiderAdvantage poll shows his numbers might be softening a bit — Romney gets 23 percent in a snap poll conducted Wednesday night, while the state’s previous leader, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, sees 21 percent, putting the two men in a statistical tie.
Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum gets 14 percent, Rep. Ron Paul sees 12, and former Ambassador and Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman outpaces Texas Gov. Rick Perry with 7 percent to Perry’s 5.
The TPM Poll Average of the race in South Carolina shows Romney with a bigger lead, about nine percent. The InsiderAdvantage poll was also conducted of registered voters, unlike most of the latest numbers which reflect likely voter samples
From Newsmax, which sponsored the poll:
“New Hampshire and Iowa have had little impact on the race in South Carolina,” Matt Towery, chief pollster of InsiderAdvantage, told Newsmax. “In this survey Ron Paul is substantially less significant, freeing up independent voters to vote for other candidates who they consider more viable,” Towery said, adding, “Gingrich has moved ahead of Santorum in competitive advantage.”
