Gingrich Closes Gap But Romney Leads in South Carolina

A new NBC News/Marist poll in South Carolina shows Mitt Romney leading the GOP presidential primary with 34%, followed by Newt Gingrich at 24%, Ron Paul at 16%, Rick Santorum at 14% and Rick Perry at 4%.

“Yet the numbers are strikingly different before and after the debate on Monday… On Monday before the debate, Romney led Gingrich in the poll by 15 points, 37% to 22%. But on Tuesday, that advantage narrowed to just five points, 31% to 26 %.”

A new Politico poll shows Romney at 37%, Gingrich at 30%, Paul at 11%, Santorum at 10% and Perry at 4%.

“Gingrich has momentum: When voters are asked to volunteer the name of the candidate they plan to vote for without being prompted by a list of names to choose from, Romney’s lead over Gingrich slips to 31-29.”