Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney leads rival Rick Santorum among likely GOP primary voters in Wisconsin and Maryland, which hold their primaries Tuesday, according to new
Public Policy Polling surveys.
The Wisconsin poll shows Romney with 43 percent support, Santorum with 36 percent support, Ron Paul with 11 percent, and Newt Gingrich with 8 percent. The poll has a 4 percentage point margin of error.
In Maryland, Romney leads with 52 percent, followed by Santorum with 27 percent, Gingrich with 10 percent, and Paul with 9 percent. That poll has a 4.4 point margin of error.
Romney has begun to cut into demographics that provided crucial support for Santorum over the past two months. Among tea partyers, for example, Romney leads Santorum 46 percent to 38 percent in Wisconsin, and 43 to 34 percent in Maryland. Evangelical voters are now split, with Santorum leading 47 to 35 percent among this category in Wisconsin, and Romney leading 43 to 36 percent in Maryland.
What’s keeping Santorum alive in Wisconsin is independents and Democrats, who are allowed to vote in the state's open primary. Romney leads Santorum 50 to 36 percent among Republican voters. But Santorum leads 37 to 32 percent among independents and Democrats.
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