Poll Watch: Rasmussen Ohio 2012 Republican Primary Survey

Rasmussen Ohio 2012 GOP Primary Poll

• Rick Santorum 42%
• Mitt Romney 24%
• Newt Gingrich 13%
• Ron Paul 10% 
• Some other candidate 3%
• Undecided 8%

Note: Ohio holds an open primary which means voters other than registered Republicans can vote. Among Republican voters, it’s Santorum 44%, Romney 27%.  Among all other voters, Santorum draws 37% of the vote, while both Romney and Paul pick up 19%.

If the 2012 Republican Primary for president were held today and you only had a choice between Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, for whom would you vote?

• Rick Santorum 58%
• Mitt Romney 30%

If the 2012 Republican Primary for president were held today and you only had a choice between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, for whom would you vote?

• Mitt Romney 46%
• Newt Gingrich 37%

If the 2012 Republican Primary for president were held today and you only had a choice between Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, for whom would you vote?

• Mitt Romney 58%
• Ron Paul 26%

Are you certain you will vote for that candidate or is it possible that something come up that causes you to change your mind?

• Certain 46%
• Could change mind 47%

Which Republican presidential candidate would be the strongest opponent against Barack Obama in the general election?

• Mitt Romney 35%
• Rick Santorum 34%

Note: As is the case elsewhere, however, most Ohio primary voters (63%) believe Paul would be the weakest general election candidate.

Regardless of who you want to win, who do you think will win the Republican presidential nomination?

• Mitt Romney 55%
• Rick Santorum 26%

Survey of 750 likely Republican primary voters was conducted February 15, 2012. The margin of error is +/- 4 percentage points.

Inside the numbers:

Ohio primary voters under 40 are evenly divided between Santorum and Romney, while those ages 40 to 64 give Santorum a significant edge. Santorum also leads Romney 45% to 30% among seniors.

Santorum is viewed favorably by 75% of likely Ohio primary voters, while Romney is viewed favorably by 64%. Gingrich and Paul draw favorable marks from 53% and 43% respectively.