The state which helped launch Arizona Senator John McCain back into the 2008 GOP White House race could once again be the launchpad for a 2012 candidate whose campaign was once dead in the water, according to a New Hampshire Journal poll.
In 2008, the New Hampshire primary gave McCain new life and now, the latest Journal poll shows former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in a statistical dead-heat in The Granite State.
The poll indicates if the primary election were held today, Romney would grab 29 percent of the votes and Gingrich 27 percent, well within the margin of error.
The NH Journal points out this is the first time in any of its polls that any candidate has gotten anywhere near Romney's numbers.
As a measure of Gingrich's surge, the October Journal numbers had Romney with 41 percent and Gingrich with ten percent and a third place showing.
The latest poll also shows Texas Congressman Ron Paul with 16 percent and Herman Cain with 10 percent support among those surveyed.
That showing by Cain comes during a week in which he came under fire for cancelling a key meeting Thursday with Joe McQuaid, the influencial publisher of the New Hampshire Union Leader.
According to the Journal poll, when you look inside the numbers, Gringrich leads Romney 34 percent to 27 percent among self-identified conservative voters also leads Romney 38 percent to 21 percent among self-identified Tea Party voters.
Another telling sign from the poll grew out of the question of why those surveyed believed Gingrich is rising in the polls with 44 percent saying the depth of his knowledge of the issues has swayed people.
Ten percent said his performance in the debates has gotten more people on board with Gingrich's campaign and 6 percent are impressed with how he has showed no fear in challenging the media during the debates.
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