With less than 24 hours before the people of South Carolina cast ballots in the Palmetto State's primary, the various polls paint interesting and diverse pictures.
In South Carolina, Gallup has Mitt Romney in the lead with 33 percent of the vote. Newt Gingrich has 17 percent and Ron Paul and Nick Santorum each have 13 percent. That makes Romney the clear leader in this poll, but second place could go to anyone.
However, Rasmussen reports a whole different set of numbers. In the latest telephone survey conducted on Thursday, January 19 of Likely GOP Primary voters, the results show that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has surged ahead of with 33 percent of the vote, although Romney is a close second with 31 percent. According to Rasmussen, Texas Congressman Ron Paul now runs third with 15 percent, former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum follows at 11 percent. While Paul's support has remained steady, Santorum's numbers show a drop of five points since Monday.
Another poll, the NBC News/Marist Poll offers a different set of numbers acquired after last night’s debate. They show Romney in the lead at 34 percent with Gingrich at 24. And lest anything think debates don’t matter, the numbers tell a different story. On Monday, Romney had a lead of 15 percentage points over Gingrich. After the debate, that lead narrowed to 5 percentage points.
Politico however, offers similar numbers. They also place Romney in the lead with 34 percent and Gingrich at 24 percent. They put Paul in third place with 16 percent and Santorum at 14 percent, while 8 percent remain undecided.
However, the latest available poll, Freedom’s Lighthouse, posted this morning after the Thursday night debate, posted a three-day polling average for South Carolina and a seven-day average for polls currently being conducted in Florida. In South Carolina, Gingrich is in the lead with 32.5 percent with Romney close at his heels with 31 percent. Paul comes in at third with 14.7 percent and Santorum follows with 10.8 percent. In Florida, those numbers are far different. Romney leads in the Sunshine State with 42 percent with Gingrich garnering 22.5 percent. Santorum is in third with 11.8 percent and Paul brings up the rear with 8.8 percent.
If the polls are to be believed, Gingrich has a good chance of victory in South Carolina with Romney taking home second place. However, at this point in time, it looks like they might change places in Florida.
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