Two polls unveiled on Friday show Rick Santorum has a commanding lead over Mitt Romney in the Louisiana Republican presidential primary, which will be held on Saturday. When Republicans meet at their national convention in Tampa come August, Louisiana will have 46 delegates.
Santorum, who won primaries in Alabama and Mississippi earlier in the month, leads an American Research Group poll of likely Louisiana Republican primary voters with 43 percent. The poll finds Santorum leading with voters of both sexes, among Louisiana Republicans who have already voted and who are planning to vote on Saturday, and among both supporters of the tea party movement and those Republicans who do not back it.
Mitt Romney places second with 27 percent.
Despite some success in the South -- his two wins in the election cycle were in South Carolina and his home base of Georgia -- Newt Gingrich stands in third with 20 percent. While he is based in Texas, which borders Louisiana, Ron Paul is not gaining traction in the Pelican State despite his campaign appearances there on Friday. He garners 6 percent while 3 percent remain undecided and 1 percent back other candidates in the race.
The ARG poll of 600 likely Republican primary voters was taken March 20-22 and had a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.
Another poll released Friday, this one from Public Policy Polling -- a firm with connections to prominent Democrats -- also shows Santorum with an impressive lead in Louisiana.
Santorum takes 42 percent in the poll of likely Republican primary voters, while Romney places second with 28 percent. Gingrich takes third with 18 percent followed by Paul with 8 percent and Buddy Roemer with 2 percent. Roemer, a former Louisiana governor who also was elected to four terms in the U.S. House, pulled out of the race for the Republican nomination and is now running to be the candidate of the Reform Party and Americans Elect.
Rick Santorums headed for another victory in the South tomorrow, said Dean Debnam, the president of PPP. The good news for Mitt Romney is that the next month of the campaign will play out on much better terrain for him.
The poll of 650 likely Louisiana Republican primary voters was taken March 21-22 and had a margin of error of +/- 3.8 percent.
Despite Santorums lead in the state, the former senator from Pennsylvania is spending Friday in Louisiana with events scheduled in West Monroe, Shreveport and Pineville. Gingrich is also focusing on the Pelican State on Friday and is scheduled to campaign in Port Fourchon, Kenner and New Orleans. Paul is also in Louisiana on Friday and is scheduled to speak at town hall events and higher education institutions in Pineville and Hammond.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
