Mitt Romney continues to assert himself as the clear favorite to secure the Republican presidential nomination, but he has some work to do if he is going to top Barack Obama in a general election matchup.
A new nationwide poll by Fox News of Republican primary voters shows Romney claiming 40 percent, making him far and away the frontrunner. The next closest GOP candidate is Rick Santorum with 15 percent, followed by Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul with 14 and 13 percent respectively.
Romney’s been making the case that he’s the most electable candidate against Obama, and it seems to be working. There’s also evidence in the poll that Romney’s claim is true — Obama bests Romney by only a point in the poll, 46 – 45.
TPM’s average shows Obama nursing a modest lead in the hypothetical matchup, with Romney steadily losing ground against the incumbent since the beginning of the new year.
