Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is the clear front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, according to the latest poll released by Reuters/Ipsos.
The Massachusetts Republican leads his Republican counterparts by one of the largest margins recorded since the campaign for the South Carolina primary began. The latest poll show Mr. Romney leading Rep. Ron Paul, congressman from Texas, by more than 20 points.
The poll showed 37 percent of South Carolina Republican voters back Mr. Romney. Mr. Paul and former Senator Rick Santorum tied for second place with 16 percent support. Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, seems to have fallen out of favor with Republican voters in the Palmetto State. The latest poll shows Mr. Gingrich in fourth place with just 12 percent of the vote.
After Mr. Gingrich, Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry placed next, receiving just 6 percent support. Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, who was third in the New Hampshire primary, received just 3 percent support.
“In primary races things can change quickly but it does look like Romney is in position to win South Carolina, and if he wins … that’s sort of the end of the road for most of his challengers,” Ipsos pollster Chris Jackson said.
For President Obama the poll is the latest sign that he is likely to face a tough bid for re-election. In a question asked of Republicans and Democrats, the poll found South Carolina voters would favor Mr. Romney over Mr. Obama by 46 percent to 40 percent.
The poll comes as Mr. Romney is widely seen as the Republican front-runner. The Massachusetts Republican has already secured victories in the state of New Hampshire and in the state of Iowa. Polls released over the week show Mr. Romney well ahead of his Republican rivals, including Mr. Paul, who remains the only Republican to have a serious chance of challenging Mr. Romney.
