Georgia Poll (SUSA): Grinch: 39% (-6) Santorum 24% (+15) Romney 23% (-9)

[WI_DEM]

One week to the Super Tuesday Georgia Primary, Newt Gingrich is positioned to defeat Rick Santorum, who has momentum, and Mitt Romney, who does not, according to a SurveyUSA tracking poll conducted for WXIA-TV in Atlanta.

Gingrich gets 39% today, Santorum 24%, Romney 23%. Delegates are awarded proportionally, so Gingrich should get 3 delegates for every 2 that Santorum and Romney take. Compared to a SurveyUSA tracking poll 3 weeks ago, Gingrich is down 6 points, Romney is down 9 points, Santorum is up 15 points. Santorum's momentum may propel him during the final days before ballots are counted, closer to Gingrich, but it is unknowable today, 02/27/12, whether Santorum has the tailwind to catch Gingrich. Ron Paul is flat, at 9%, in 4th place.

Gingrich has a Minus 5 favorability rating, similar to Santorum who is Minus 6. Romney has a Minus 15 favorability rating. Paul is Minus 19.

Regardless of which Republican is on the ticket in the general election in November, Georgia remains a Red State, today's polling suggests. Romney carries the state by 7 points, Santorum and Gingrich carry the state by 4, and Paul carries the state by 3. In 2008, John McCain carried Georgia by 5 percentage points.

http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=1b8f4a88-d05a-4d1b-8ec5-1b0dd87f2d6a

[grantcart]

1. Romney's numbers could sink more on Wednesday.

[Erose999]

2. This Georgian kinda hopes GinGrinch and Frothy stay in the game. The more they tear each other apart

the more GOP donor money gets spent. And having the donors blow all their cash on the primary is a good thing. As is having the campaigns doing opposition research and digging up the dirt on each other. I want them to carry on with all that nastiness, divisiveness, fear, and loathing all the way into the Republican National Convention.

I want Republican voters literally crapping their pants in fear of their candidates by the time the primary is over.

[RZM]

3. Looks like there's too many anti-Romney cooks in the kitchen

If either Santorum or Newt dropped out, those opposed to Romney, i.e., 75 percent of Republicans, could very well block him. Instead, they will split their votes on those two losers (along with Paul). Funny since Newt made such hay about disliking Romney, yet the longer he stays in, the more he helps him.

[Erose999]

4. Its a game of chicken between Frothy and GinGrinch. Super Tuesday will make or break Newt. Newt has

given up on Michigan and Arizona and put all his eggs in the Super Tuesday basket.

[RZM]

5. Newt might do well in the south. But then again, so did Huckabee

That's not going to get you there. Outside of the south, Newt can't win a single state. He probably can't even come in second in most of them. In quite a few he'll be last, behind Ron Paul.

[Mr.Turnip]

6. I can't see Newt winning much outside of GA.

In fact if Santorum wins in MI today I could see him even taking that from Newt.

[RebelOne]

7. Yes, as a Georgian, I agree.

I think that Georgia is the only state he could take.

[morningfog]

8. The delegates are awarded proportionally, unless one candidate breaks 50%, then it triggers

a winner take all 76 GA delegates. Gingrich has no shot at getting the 50%. No one else does either, even if Gingrich drops out.