Poll: Santorum Best Against Obama in Swing States

From The Hill

By Christian Heinze

Here's a "Wow" poll that will simulate caffeine for your morning.

A new USA Today/Gallup poll of swing states shows Rick Santorum running strongest against Obama in swing states.

So strong that he leads Obama, 50%-45%. Mitt Romney also bests Obama by a slightly smaller 48%-46%.


The two actually perform better in the swing states (Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) than they do the rest of the nation.

In non-swing states, Santorum leads Obama by 3%, while Romney and the president are tied.

So what does this all mean?

It means Santorum should immediately cut an ad with these results and flood Michigan with it, because electability is and has always been the key factor in this race, and makes for much of Romney's appeal (Remember, Newt killed Romney in South Carolina, because for that brief moment, Republicans thought Gingrich was more electable + more conservative. A dangerous combination, indeed).

Of course, a bunch of ads about the poll wouldn't move the needles fast enough, and Santorum still has to overcome a perception that isn't reflected yet in national numbers -- that his views on birth control and penchant for controversial rhetoric might make him a tough sell to independents.

After all, Ron Paul frequently points to polls doing well in a general election, but no one buys that he'd hold up under national scrutiny.

Nevertheless, this survey is a real a boost for Santorum.