Latest Des Moines Register Poll

[Bann (Premo)]

OTTUMWA, Iowa– Three days before the Iowa caucuses a New Year’s Eve Des Moines Register poll shows Rick Santorum gaining momentum in Iowa, but still running behind first place finisher Mitt Romney and second-place contender Ron Paul.

Here are Saturday Night’s results:

Romney 24

Paul 22

Santorum 15

Gingrich 12

Perry 11

Bachmann 7

But, there’s an important twist that is not reflected in the instant look at the numbers. In the final two days of polling, Santorum moved ahead to second place with 21 behind Romney with 24 while Paul falls to third place with 18.

The other GOP contenders remain the same.

Santorum had finished up his fifth and final event of the day here in Ottumwa where he reacted to the results just minutes after The Register released the poll.

“We are the one who has the best chance to pick up and finish maybe even head of Mitt Romney. We still have a ways to go, but we are the one on the move and that’s pretty exciting,” Santorum told reporters who informed him of the results.

“I think we are the candidate that conservatives are starting to rally around and that I think is pretty clear from the poll that we are in the campaign with momentum and conservatives want to stop Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum is the train that is right at his heels,” Santorum said. “And to the extent that they want to send a conservative message out of Iowa I think it’s pretty clear the campaign they need to be supporting.”

Saturday night’s results closely mirror those of a poll taken just a few days ago. The NBC News/Marist poll released Friday reflects almost identical polling.

However, the latest numbers show significant shifts in the race since the newspaper’s last survey on Dec. 3.

In that poll, Gingrich was surging with 25 percent support, ahead of Ron Paul with 18 percent and Mitt Romney was third with 16 percent.

Rick Santorum was tied for last place in the poll with Rick Perry only coming in with six percent support. Technically, Jon Huntsman was last with two percent, but he’s not competing here.

The jump from last place to second represents undeniable momentum at just the right moment for the Santorum campaign.

On the other hand, Gingrich’s fall to fourth place couldn’t come at a worse time for the former House Speaker. The campaign, which has been bombarded by a steady stream of negative attacks on the airwaves, dismissed the results.

“If this is the Supebowl, then we just saw the pre-game show. But, everyone knows the real action happens after kickoff,” Gingrich’s spokesperson R.C. Hammond said in a statement.

When asked specifically about the move from third to second in the final two day period Santorum said it reflects that “people are realizing that I actually can win this.”

Santorum has consistently said on the trail that making voters realize he is electable was his goal and once that happened Iowans would rally around him.

As he left the Bridgeview Center and got into the pick-up truck he rides in from stop to stop he had a message for Iowans and contrasted himself with the former Massachusetts governor.

“There’s one candidate that is moving in and closing in and it’s time to rally around and make that happen and make sure that a conservative comes out strongly in Iowa,” Santorum said. “Mitt Romney has a lot of money and I have a lot of energy.”

ABC’s Elicia Dover contributed to this report.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics...grich-falling/

[2ndAmendment]

I really hope Obama Lite does not win. He will not get my vote.

[Mongo53]

Originally Posted by 2ndAmendment

I really hope Obama Lite does not win. He will not get my vote.

CURL: Is Romney the next Kerry?

Think about it: Mitt Romney and John F. Kerry are two Boston blue-blood multimillionaires, spending summers in their island estates and winters in their mountain mansions; both are recidivist flip-floppers with long records of often indefensible 180s; and each was going up against a supremely unpopular — the catch word is “beatable” — president.

Both are stiff, highly programmed and have problems connecting with voters.

Both failed to energize the electorate during the run-up to caucuses and primaries (Mr. Kerry ran behind Howard Dean for months, and Mr. Romney has trailed just about everyone, including a guy pitching something called the “9-9-9 plan”). And both were “next in line.”

There are other reasons as well, but I have to agree, if Romney gets the nomination, Obama very well could get re-elected.

And some good news, the latest from a poll that has an excellent reputation.
Headed for a Photo Finish in Iowa
Granted only one poll, so don't put to much stock into it yet, but they did much better then other polling organizations in 2008 and 2010.

The Republican caucus in Iowa is headed for a photo finish, with the three leading contenders all within two points of each other. Ron Paul is at 20%, Mitt Romney at 19%, and Rick Santorum at 18%. Rounding out the field are Newt Gingrich at 14%, Rick Perry at 10%, Michele Bachmann at 8%, Jon Huntsman at 4%, and Buddy Roemer at 2%.

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Mongo53

CURL: Is Romney the next Kerry?

There are other reasons as well, but I have to agree, if Romney gets the nomination, Obama very well could get re-elected.

And some good news, the latest from a poll that has an excellent reputation.
Headed for a Photo Finish in Iowa
Granted only one poll, so don't put to much stock into it yet, but they did much better then other polling organizations in 2008 and 2010.

Not fair. What has Kerry ever done besides serve in the military that is worth a damn? Marry well?

Mitt, like him or not, has worded, and succeeded, by his own toil and smarts.

[Mongo53]

Originally Posted by Larry Gude

Not fair. What has Kerry ever done besides serve in the military that is worth a damn? Marry well?

Mitt, like him or not, has worded, and succeeded, by his own toil and smarts.

Well, as the folks that served in the military with Kerry, they made perfectly clear during his campaign, they did NOT view his service as being worth a damn. Although, I think it is poor form to criticism someones service as NOT be "good enough". Kerry's actions right after leaving service were absolutely disgusting and deserved to be brought back up decades later as a testament to his character and trustworthiness. Which of course, the MSM just didn't see it as news worthy to remind the voters of that.

Lefty's spare me the "Swift Boat" rhetoric, what Kerry said about the Swift Boat veterans in the early 70's was an outright lie, while what they said about him during his campaign was the truth.

Romney for all the good you can say about him, there is still big negatives about him. Sure, he'd be better then Obama (if he had a "good" Republican Congress). But like the article argues, a luke warm candidate, that has flip-flops and basically comes across as "patronizing what you want just to get the votes" is someone that can lose to Obama, despite how unpopular he is.

Remember Clinton as pretty much in the same position as Obama was, although he had Perot as a spoiler, and Dole, next in line, but lots of flip-flops on his record, no vision and uninspiring campaign and we got Clinton for another 4 years.