Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich has surged past Mitt Romney in Virginia, but the former Massachusetts governor still fairs much better in a head-to-head against President Obama.
A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday showed 30 percent of Virginia voters supporting Gingrich to Romney’s 25 percent, with no other candidate in double digits. It’s the latest in a string of polls that show Romney garnering support in the mid-20s while a new name in the Republican field jumps ahead of him.
Gingrich also tops Romney, 47 percent to 39 percent, in a hypothetical matchup, the poll shows.
But Virginia voters, a majority of whom say they don’t think Obama deserves a second term, feel Romney is a better opponent for the Democratic president. In a general election, Romney tops Obama 44 percent to 42 percent, a dead heat statistically, compared to Gingrich, who would lose to Obama 46 percent to 41 percent.
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Both Romney and Obama have a higher favorability rating than Gingrich as well.
Quinnipiac’s poll, which included 1,1,35 registered voters surveyed Dec. 13 through 19, also shows Republican Senate candidate George Allen and Democrat Tim Kaine locked in a tight race. Allen has a 44 perccent to 42 percent edge on Kaine, well within the poll’s margin of error.
In that regard, the poll contrasts with a survey released last week by Public Policy Polling that showed Kaine opening a lead on Allen and Obama’s numbers in Virginia improving.
