Two weeks ago, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum had a sizeable lead over Mitt Romney in support for the Washington caucuses, but now Romney has turned the tables and boasts a small lead, according to a survey from
Public Policy Polling (PPP).
Following his victories in Tuesday’s Michigan and Arizona primaries, Romney leads Santorum 37 percent to 32 percent among likely caucus voters. Ron Paul is in third place, with 16 percent support, and Newt Gingrich in fourth, with 13 percent.
To be sure, the poll’s margin of error is 4.6 percentage points, so Romney’s advantage is hardly a commanding one.
Still, it’s quite a change from two weeks ago, when in the wake of his triple-play victory in Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri, Santorum led Romney 38 percent to 27 percent.
Favorability ratings explain the change, according to PPP. Two weeks ago Santorum's net favorability rating (the percentage of those who view him favorably minus the percentage of those who view him unfavorably) bested Romney’s by 46 points.
But now that lead has shrunk to 11 points. Santorum's favorability rating has plunged to 29 points (60/31) from 51 points (69/18). Meanwhile, Romney’s has soared to 18 points (55/37) from 5 points (47/42).
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