North Carolina GOP primary – Romney 30 percent, Gingrich 30%, Santorum 20%, Ron Paul 11%
I don’t know why one of the least accurate, left wing biased polling outfits like PPP is doing a poll of a Republican primary that isn’t until May the 8th, but I guess they feel it’s relevant now. Personally, I’m far more interested in polls of Arizona, Michigan, and the Super Tuesday states, but what do I know. Anyway, this poll of the May 8th North Carolina GOP primary shows Romney and Gingrich tied at 30%. Rick Santorum coming off his hat trick last night is at 20% and Ron Paul is at only 11%. Obviously this poll hasn’t polled people after the full affect of Santorum’s sweep took place last night.
Santorum actually is the most popular candidate in North Carolina with a 62/25 favorability. That stacks up well compared to Romney’s 53/34, Gingrich’s 50/35, and Paul’s 32/55. High favorability numbers were a precursor to his strong performances last night.
These numbers challenge the thinking that Romney can’t compete in the South. Romney wins a head to head match up with Santorum 45-44, and trails Gingrich only 45-42. It’s hard to say if North Carolina will be relevant by the time the race gets here, but if it is Romney should have a shot.
