Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich holds a slight lead over former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney among Virginia Republican voters, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday.
The poll found 30 percent of voters supporting Mr. Gingrich, while Mr. Romney finished 25 percent of the voters.
Texas congressman Ron Paul finished in a distant third place, with 9 percent. Texas Governor Rick Perry and Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann finished in a tie with 6 percent each.
In matchups with President Barack Obama, the Quinnipiac poll found Mr. Romney performing better among Virginia voters than Mr. Gingrich.
The Massachusetts Republican slightly edged out Mr. Obama, finishing with 44 percent compared to the president’s 42 percent, while Mr. Gingrich finished with 41 percent compared to Mr. Obama’s 46 percent.
“Speaker Newt Gingrich jumps into the lead among Virginia Republicans, but Gov. Mitt Romney’s calling card is still that he seems to have a better chance of actually winning the White House if nominated,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
“As is the case across the country, Gingrich has come out of nowhere. The last time Quinnipiac University surveyed Virginia Republicans, in October, Gingrich was getting just 7 percent. As other candidates fade, Romney’s 21 percent climbs to 25 percent now,” Mr. Brown added.
The poll was released amid a battle between the Gingrich and Romney campaign teams. Mr. Gingrich has recently stated that he wants his campaign to remain positive for the remainder of the campaign season, though he recently reacted to the negative advertisements being run against him by super PACs that support Mr. Romney.
The former House speaker is making several campaign stops in Virginia this week, he needs to obtain more signatures prior to the Thursday deadline in order for his name to appear on the Virginia primary ballot on March 6th.
The Quinnipiac University Poll was conducted among 1,135 registered Virginia voters between December 13th and December 19th, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.
