Rick Perry Beating Mitt Romney and the GOP Field in South Carolina

With Rick Perry leading in Iowa and Mitt Romney in control in New Hampshire, the tie breaker could be South Carolina. When Iowa and New Hampshire Republicans differ from each other in presidential contests (1988, 1996, 2000, 2008), South Carolina always picks whoever goes on to win the GOP nod.

Thats good news for Perry. The Texas governor leads a new Magellan Strategies poll of likely South Carolina primary voters with 31 percent, followed by Romney with 20 percent. U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota takes third with 14 percent. The rest of the field is in single digits -- Herman Cain at 9 percent, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia with 5 percent, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas with 4 percent and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah tie with 2 percent.

The poll of 637 likely primary voters was taken on Aug. 22 and 23, and had a margin of error of +/- 3.88 percent.