Congressman Ron Paul, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, is in a neck and neck battle with former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum for third in South Carolina. An Insider Advantage poll of likely South Carolina Republican primary voters, released Monday, found Mr. Paul with 14 percent of the votes and Mr. Santorum with 13 percent of the votes.
With less than a week to go before the South Carolina Republican primary, the Palmetto State has become a crucial battleground for the remaining Republican candidates as they compete to unseat former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney from his seat at the top of the GOP pack. The latest polls show that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Mr. Paul or Mr. Santorum could play spoiler to Mr. Romney’s third victory in a row.
While Mr. Paul and Mr. Santorum battle for third, Mr. Romney is in first with 32 percent of the votes and Mr. Gingrich is in second with 21 percent of the votes. Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman finish in fifth place, although the former U.S. Ambassador to China dropped out of the race Sunday and endorsed Mr. Romney.
According to the latest polls, Mr. Paul is a top-tier candidate in South Carolina. However, Mr. Paul faces a tough road ahead with Mr. Santorum and Mr. Gingrich trying to win over South Carolina voters before Saturday. Although Mr. Romney is most likely out of reach in South Carolina, Mr. Paul tied Mr. Santorum for second place in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll of likely South Carolina Republican primary voters with 16 percent of the votes.
Mr. Paul was endorsed by State Senator Tom Davis Sunday night. “I’m endorsing Ron Paul because enough is enough,” Mr. Davis said in a statement. “Ron Paul’s record matches his rhetoric, his fiscal plan matches the fiscal challenges that our nation is facing and his movement represents the taxpayers whose interests have been ignored in the political process for far too long,” Mr. Davis added.
Mr. Paul launched his “South Carolina” money bomb Saturday. “Our campaign is surging in South Carolina, and the overwhelming support we’ve received in our South Carolina Money Bomb has enabled us to increase our ad buy and intensify our Get-Out-the-Vote efforts,” Ron Paul 2012 Campaign Manager John Tate said in an email to campaign supporters.
