Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are tied in North Carolina, according to a Public Polling Policy poll released Wednesday.
The poll shows Mr. Romney and Mr. Gingrich tied at 30 percent, trailed by rival candidates Rick Santorum at 20 percent and Ron Paul at 11 percent.
Mr. Santorum won the caucuses in Minnesota and Colorado, and the primary election in Missouri Tuesday night. His victory in Colorado was a huge blow to Mr. Romney and may have stalled his momentum in the Republican primary race.
After his two big wins in Nevada and Florida, Mr. Romney was projected to win Colorado, but ended up losing to Mr. Santorum by six percentage points.
Although the North Carolina Republican primary election does not occur until May, the results of the PPP poll show that Mr. Gingrich’s perceived regional advantage in southern states might not hold true throughout the primary race.
All four candidates have pledged to remain in the race all the way through the Republican National Convention in August. If they stick to that commitment, the North Carolina Republican primary election definitely becomes a crucial race for all four candidates. There are a total of 55 delegate votes up for grabs in North Carolina.
Mr. Santorum finished in a distant third place in both primary elections that have occurred in the South thus far, as he finished at 17 percent in South Carolina and 13 percent in Florida.
His three victories Tuesday night definitely boosted his momentum, but the PPP poll results show that he still faces an uphill battle in the South.
The PPP poll was conducted between February 3rd and February 5th among 819 likely North Carolina Republican primary voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
