Santorum Holds Small Lead Over Romney in Q-Poll of Pennsylvania

A poll from Quinnipiac University released on Tuesday finds that Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum has a slight lead over Mitt Romney in his home state of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania holds its primary on April 24, along with four other states in the region.

Santorum leads the poll of likely primary votes with 41 percent followed by Romney with 35 percent. Ron Paul stands in third with 10 percent followed by Newt Gingrich with 7 percent while 6 percent remain undecided. More than a third -- 37 percent -- say they could change their mind before the primary on whom they will back.

"The Keystone State is critical for Senator Rick Santorum, the native son who must win to reasonably continue the race for the presidency," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in a statement on Tuesday. "Can Santorum hold on against Governor Mitt Romney's money machine, which has turned the tide in other states, washing away Santorum's early leads? Pennsylvania is a critical swing state, so the Republican primary winner wants to make a good showing in April to bolster chances for success in November."

The poll of 647 likely Pennsylvania Republican primary voters was taken March 27-April 1 and had a margin of error of +/- 3.9 percent.