Romney dominant in New Hampshire, Suffolk University poll finds
Published: January 4th, 2012
Manchester, New Hampshire — Mitt Romney is holding firm with 43 percent of likely voters, easily outdistancing his nearest rivals among likely New Hampshire Republican Primary voters, according to a Suffolk University/7NEWS two-day tracking poll of likely voters in New Hampshire’s GOP presidential primary.
The poll showed Romney maintaining his lead with 43 percent of the vote, followed by Ron Paul (16 percent), Jon Huntsman (10 percent), and Newt Gingrich (9 percent), while Rick Santorum (5 percent) has moved ahead of Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry, who had 2 percent each.
Thirteen percent of voters remain undecided, down from 15 percent yesterday.
The Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston will release results of two-day tracking polls every day leading up to the New Hampshire Presidential Primary on Tuesday, Jan. 10. CapitolBeatOK has regularly carried the university’s updates on the primary polling data.
This is the second consecutive poll release showing Gingrich in fourth place after polling second to Romney in mid-December.
“Newt Gingrich is struggling to revive his campaign in New Hampshire” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center. “But Rick Santorum now trails Gingrich by only 4 points, and if he surpasses Gingrich and knocks him into fifth place, it would be fatal for Gingrich.”
Romney’s strength was measured by gender and geography: Overall 48 percent of women preferred Romney, and 59 percent of registered Republican women said they’d vote for Romney, as did 62 percent of women ages 65 and over.
“If Romney wins the Granite State in a landslide, he can thank women throughout New Hampshire for making a powerful statement,” said Paleologos.
Regionally, Romney has the support of nearly 50 percent of voters from the state’s two largest counties when combined – Rockingham and Hillsborough counties.
Suffolk University is releasing two-day tracking poll numbers every day through Jan. 10, with the data reflecting the previous two nights’ field.
Romney defeated Santorum by eight votes in yesterday’s Iowa caucus, running about three percent ahead of Paul, and far ahead of the rest of the field.