SC-2012 Primary: 23% Romney, 21% Gingrich, 14% Santorum (InsiderAdvantage/Augusta Chronicle 1/11)

InsiderAdvantage / Augusta Chronicle
1/11/12; 726 likely voters, 3.6% margin of error
Mode: Automated phone
InsiderAdvantage release

South Carolina

2012 President: Republican Primary
23% Romney
21% Gingrich
14% Santorum
13% Paul
7% Huntsman
5% Perry
(chart)

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[Uchenna Oguekwe]

04:31 PM on 01/12/2012

Looks like Gingrich's strategy is taking hold.

[Symanski]

02:22 PM on 01/12/2012

Palin is calling for proof that Romney created 100,000 jobs and wants to see his tax returns. Gingrich and Perry are calling out Romney as vulture capitalist. Reminds me how SC always brings out the best in the party! Remember when W threw the "black baby" stuff at McCain in January 2000? Or how Obama's henchmen not-so-subtly accused the Clintons, specifically Bill, of being racist heading into SC?

[Bukama]

01:25 PM on 01/13/2012

Negative campaigning works, unfortunately. I think Nikki Haley's endorsement is the fire wall for Romney. But 3 weeks ago, most of us were considering it likely that Romney would lose SC, yet go on to win the nomination. I still see that as the worst case scenario.

[AaronTX]

12:21 PM on 01/12/2012

Gingrich and Santorum's support needs to merge, and do so quickly if Romney is going to be stopped. If he wins SC, he's got the nom, no doubt about it. This is going much more easily for Romney than I would have guessed, although the musical chairs these candidates played indicated serious weaknesses with all of them.

[Bukama]

04:07 PM on 01/12/2012

I think a lot of the "Romney is toast" postings here at HP (not from you) was wishful thinking on the part of those posters. Romney always had the inside track, having come in second 4 years ago. That's how Republicans swing. If they hoped to have a shot in 2016 or 2020, Perry, Santorum, Gingrich and Huntsman would be treating Romney respectfully, and vying for the #2 (or 3 behind Paul). This would also give them a shot at the VP slot. I don't understand what Gingrich or Perry in particular think they are accomplishing

[Symanski]

05:29 PM on 01/12/2012

Or Palin for that matter: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/01/12/sarah-palin-criticism-of-romneys-record-at-bain-is-fair/

What is she up to?

[AaronTX]

08:37 PM on 01/12/2012

Both Gingrich and Perry know they probably won't be viable in 2016 and beyond. Plus, there seems to be something about Romney when you come under attack from him that rubs people the wrong way, and they both seem to have been affected by that. With Gingrich, he clearly took the superpac ads personally. Perry I think has a similar personal dislike.

Romney is not a particularly easy guy to like, not very charming. He seems disingenuous - something I've said for months. I think that will be a problem for him.

I agree that Romney was always the most likely candidate. Still, I just find it hard to believe that the guy who governed the one state with state-run health insurance is going to be the guy to run against Obama.

[Romo2Austin]

11:22 AM on 01/12/2012

Hopefully the religious right cabal in Texas will come out strong for Gingrich.

[stillow1]

11:15 AM on 01/12/2012

I didn't even know Insider Advantage was still doing polling.............

[Louis Hirsch]

11:24 AM on 01/12/2012

Now you do. Be interesting to see if there is any confirmation of this in other polls. Expect Perry to drop out after SC. Will be interesting to see if he makes an endorsement.

[stillow1]

11:34 AM on 01/12/2012

Yeah, I think everyone agrees Perry will drop out. As to the endorsement question, if you are one of the remaining candidates would you really want his endorsement? Both he and Newt have become toxic with a large majority of the party after their leftwing acts of desperation. So I don't think anyone would want his endorsement except i guess for newt......

[Louis Hirsch]

11:52 AM on 01/12/2012

Perry sill has supporters if he gets 10% of the vote or even 5 that is voters other candidates would like to have. Very, very few would vote against a candidate because perry endorsed them, So his endorsement still has value. Obviously the most to Newt.

[rltballer]

01:17 PM on 01/12/2012

Romney has been so much more publicly toxic than newt. Negative ad after negative ad. Will be fun to watch the stones fly in sc.