A new survey shows Rick Santorum is within the range of a statistical dead heat of Mitt Romney with just a week to go to Arizona's presidential primary.
And how they perform in Wednesday's debate in Mesa could swing it either way.
Public Policy Polling actually finds that Santorum actually is better liked among the 412 likely Arizona Republican primary voters between Friday and Sunday. But when asked who they actually would vote for, 36 percent chose Romney versus 33 percent for Santorum.
That's well within the survey's 4.8 percent margin of error.
Dustin Ingalls, the polls's assistant director, said part of Romney's edge could be attributable to questions on the minds of GOP faithful of who is in a better position to take on Barack Obama in November.
Newt Gingrich, who was briefly a strong challenger to Romney, was far back at 16 percent, with Ron Paul tallying the support of just 9 percent. And, at this point, only 7 percent of those questioned said they either wanted someone else or are not sure who they will cast their ballot for this coming Tuesday.
Ingalls said that leaves a lot riding on the debate.
"I think Santorum needs to basically convince voters that he can be elected, that he is the sort of satisfying conservative candidate they're looking for who can beat Romney and beat the president,'' he said. The goal for Romney, as the presumed front runner, is different.
"Romney needs to close the deal in the sense that he needs to knock Santorum down a peg,'' Ingalls said. And he said there's "still room to shift'' in the next week to change the outcome.
Less clear is how a last-minute endorsement might provide the necessary margin of victory in the winner-take-all-delegates primary.
Ingalls said he thinks these will matter only on the margins.
"They generally don't make that big a difference,'' he said. Ingalls pointed out, for example, that Romney lost South Carolina to Gingrich despite the endorsement of Gov. Nikki Haley.
"There are some voters that sort of elite endorsement can be a cue to,'' Ingalls said.
But he pointed out that just 25 percent of Republicans said their choice would be influenced by whoever Gov. Jan Brewer ends up endorsing. Brewer has kept her choices to herself, saying she will not decide until she hears from the candidates themselves on Wednesday.
Conversely, 21 percent said Brewer's choice would make them want to support someone else -- with the majority saying whatever the governor thinks makes no difference to them.
The views of Sen. John McCain elicited a similar response, with more than half saying they don't care. But fully 30 percent say McCain's endorsement of Romney makes them less likely to want to vote the same way.
The Republicans questioned are a bit more interested in what Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has to say. Arpaio, who had endorsed Rick Perry early on, has been silent since the Texas governor dropped out of the race.
But even here, 44 percent say they will make up their own minds regardless of Arpaio's stance.
Broken down by segments of the GOP electorate, the poll finds Santorum with an 18-point lead over Romney among those who describe themselves as Evangelicals and up 13 points with self-described "very conservative'' voters.
Romney, however, has a 14 point edge with "somewhat conservative'' voters and a 17-point spread among those who say they are moderates. He also polls better than Santorum among seniors, Hispanics and women.
mariapar posted at 11:03 pm on Mon, Feb 20, 2012.
Bishop Romney 's PACK EXPENT 14 MILLIONS IN NEGATIVE ADDS TO CONFUSE THE MINDS OF THE ARIZONIANS . JA ! Now ROMONEY WILL PARADE THE DONALD …. DESPERATION TIME !
32 Entries of SHAMEFULLY opposite Political Posturing by Mitt Romney
http://tinyurl.com/6u643xb
MONEY WILL NOT HIDE THE TRUTH or smoke the minds of the arizonians !
SEE A FEW OF THE 32 ENTRIES... VIDEO HIS OWN WORDS AND VOICE.
priceless......
Uma posted at 11:55 pm on Mon, Feb 20, 2012.
I think Rick Santorum must be proud of himself, notwithstanding a close finish and loss to front runner Mitt Romney in Maine. He has just pulled even with Romney in all the national tracking polls. Romney is actually trailing in the two areas that he really needs to make up if he is going to get anywhere in the coming election, because now he is losing among the conservative base and among the Tea Party crowd. As for Romney, he has been linked to fail after fail. It’s natural that middle-class people don’t trust him, living on the verge of bankruptcy and taking no fax cash loans to survive… First not wanting to release his tax returns because they showed he parks a lot of his money in tax havens and that he pays less than 20% of his money is capital gains. How long will this last?
jacklb164 posted at 10:17 am on Tue, Feb 21, 2012.
Obama is playing the Republican Party like a fiddle. This so-called war on religion is a pretext to get the far right to rally around an unelectable candidate, and Rick Santorum is playing right into it with his comments about Obama, birth control, women, gays, etc. It may play well with the far right, but will be his downfall in a general election.
If employees of Catholic institutions needing free contraception was the biggest issue facing America I'd be all for Santorum. Since the real problems are runaway deficit spendings, a lagging job market, and high gas prices I think we need to look elsewhere.
While Santorum is a proven social conservative, he is NOT a small government or fiscal conservative. He was part of the Bush spending spree. Just listen to him in his own words:
http://youtu.be/E_OEjdh697o
mariapar posted at 3:40 am on Wed, Feb 22, 2012.
95 % of christians will never , ever vote for the former Mormon Bishop Williard Romney
in the same way they would not vote for any former Bishop Episcopalian or Catholic ....
Once a Bishop..... ALWAYS A BISHOP. !
THE GOP ESTABLISHMENT, BETTER, BETTER REFLECT ON THIS very well known
FACT.
No one can be POTUS without the catholic vote or the black vote .....
From the Tampa Bay Times
Rev. O’Neal Dozier, the conservative black pastor of Pompano Beach’s Worldwide Christian Center said:
“Blacks are not going to vote for anyone of the Mormon faith,” Dozier said. “The book of Mormon says the Negro skin is cursed.”...
----
There are several comments trying to mislead in reference to Rick Santorun conservatism .
His beliefs are just HIS BELIEFS and I do not feel he is trying to impose THEM on ME.
HE HAS BEEN CONSISTANT, it is very simple
RICK SANTORUM WILL FOLLOW THE CONSTITUTION AND THE LAW,
Our Constitution guarantees 'freedom of choice' and it is a woman's right to apply that to her private life. It is between her and her conscience and her God. It is no one else's business to tell her what to do. If she practices a religion that asks her to preserve life, then it is HER decision to follow or not. It is NOT the role of government nor public pressure to make those decisions for her. This is so simple. What is all the fuss over this, anyway? People must be very bored with their lives to carry on about this the way they do. Move on and get a life.
THE ROMONEY ROBOTS ARE TRYING TO CONVERT YOU IN ROMNEY SHEEPS,
THERE ARE REAL ROMNEY SHEEPS, DO NOT BE ONE MORE ! YOU ARE INTELLIGENT, THINK FOR
YOURSELF- YOU ARE AN AMERICAN PROUD TO BE ONE ! RESEARCH EACH CANDIDATE FOR YOURSELF !
DO NOT BE BRAINWASHED, SANTORUM IS OUTSPEND BY ROMNEY 40 (FORTY) TO 1 (ONE )
http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/romney/
mariapar posted at 3:47 am on Wed, Feb 22, 2012.
Romoney is Rich, Rich,,,,very rich- Did he invent something ???
ROMoNEY has reported his estimated 2011 income as $20,900,00.00. If we assume for the sake of argument that he actually "worked" for this investment income at a rate of 40/hrs week and 52/wks year, his hourly pay would be $10,048.07 per hour, or $167.47 per minute, or $2.79 per second
Not One of us, for sure !.
Mitt Romney Took Advantage of Government Subsidies at Bain
HYPOCRISY THY NAME IS ROMoNEY !!
http://tinyurl.com/7ps7thb
Santorun is the only one that will defeat Obama
Santo = Sacred in Italian
Santo = Saint in Spanish
rum = room = space
Capice ?
OBAMA is creating dependency on government, enslaving free americans, killing their
dreams to pursue their own happiness ! HE IS AN ENABLER !!
Obama is pro-abortion - Remember he stated if one of his daughters get pregnant
he would not want her daugther "to be punished with a baby"
http://tinyurl.com/2vgmehz
WE THE PEOPLE MUST REPOST THE TRUTH A MILLION TIMES- I DID !
DaneMuhlig posted at 11:59 am on Mon, Feb 27, 2012.
~Mormonism Not Christian
Mormonism [Church of Latter Day Saints] is not Christian is because it denies the doctrines
of Christianity. Mormonism denies that there is only one God, Jesus is God in flesh,
forgiveness of sins is by grace, Jesus rose from the dead physically.
God, One of Many Gods, is An Exalted Man, Who is Married with Many Wives
Mormonism teaches that God is a an exalted man, that he used to be a man on another
planet and he is only one of countless gods and that God is married and he brought one
of his wives to this world and produces spirit children who then inhabit human bodies at birth.
God Had Sex with Mary
Mormons say God had sex with Mary and produced Jesus! According to Mormonism there
was no virgin birth. "The Father came down from heaven...and begat the Savior of the World;
for He is the Only Begotten of the Father which could not have been if the Father did not
actually beget him in person...The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of
our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood." (Brigham
Young, Journal Of Discourses, Vol. 1 page 238 and8:115)
Man Can Become God
Mormons believe that man can become God! "The Lord created you and me for the purpose
of becoming Gods like Himself." Brigham Young (Journal Of Discourses 3:93).
Jesus Was A Polygamist
The reason people "persecuted Jesus Christ, was because he had so many wives; there were
Elizabeth and Mary, and a host of others." [Journal of Discourses, Vol 1. ppl 345-346] "The
Scripture says the Lord, came walking in the Temple, with HIS TRAIN; I do not know who they
were, unless his wives and children." Brigham Young [Journal of Discourses,Vol.13.pg309]
Jesus and Satan Are Spirit Brothers
Mormons believe that Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers. [Journal of Discourses, 93:21]
Salvation through Joseph Smith
"No man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God
without the consent of Joseph Smith...every man and woman must have the
certificate of Joseph Smith." [Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p.289-91]
The Bible Is Not Infallible and Is Not Reliable
Mormons teach that the Bible has many errors and is unreliable and was corrupted in
translation and it is not infallible.They believe their Book of Mormon is God's Word. It is
“the most correct of any book on earth and the keystone of our religion." Joseph Smith
Polygamy Marriages in Heaven
Mormon’s believe that you can be married to many wives in Heaven.
Baptism for the Dead
Mormon's baptize people in water on behalf of dead people for the forgiveness of their sins.
Mormon's Holy Underwear
Mormons have a Temple Ceremony where the person is given "Mormon
Underwear" that is to protect them against the Evil One.
Joseph Smith, Mormon Founder, Met Jesus
In 1820 Mormon founder Joseph Smith was 14 years old and he said God the Father and
Jesus met him outside of New York. Three years later he said an Angel named Moroni
inspired him to write the Book of Mormon, which is "another Bible" and "new revelation" of
Jesus Christ and it is about an ancient people who came from the middle east to the
Americas. The Mormons follow 2 other books, Doctrine & Covenants & Pearl of Great Price.
Joseph Smith Met John the Baptist
In 1829 Joseph Smith said John the Baptist appeared to him and ordained him.
Christians Are All Wrong...Their Creeds Are An Abomination
Joseph Smith said, Christians were "all wrong... all their creeds were an admonition."
Joseph Smith Greater Than Jesus
Smith said, "I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has
ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam...Neither Paul,
John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I"
Joseph Smith:"I Am Impregnable...God is My Right Hand Man"
Smith said, "The whole Earth shall bear me witness that I, like the towering rock in the
midst of the ocean, am impregnable...I combat the errors of ages... I solve mathematical
problems of universities, with truth, diamond truth; and God is my right hand man...
you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves,"
Brigham Young, Mormon's 2nd Prophet, Creates New Scriptures
Young said, "I have never yet preached a sermon and sent it out that they may not call
Scripture. Let me have the privilege of correcting a sermon, and it is as good a scripture"
Mormon Polygamy
After 1852, when the Mormon Church was openly practicing polygamy, the leaders of the
church were declaring that it was absolutely essential for exaltation. A revelation given by
Joseph Smith, "Ten virgins given unto him [Solomon] by this law, he cannot commit
adultery...therefore is he justified."
Joseph Smith A Polygamist...An Adulterer...and A Pedophile
Joseph Smith had 33 wives! He married several who were married to other men." Nancy
Marinda Johnson married Joseph Smith while her husband, Orson Hyde, was on a
mission to Jerusalem." Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner, the wife of Adam Lightner,
said that Joseph claimed an "angel" came with a "drawn sword" and told him that if
he did not enter into polygamy "he would slay him."
Joseph Smith's youngest wife, Helen Mar Kimball, was 14 years old!!!!
Joseph Smith Wife Damned If She Doesn't Accept Polygamy
Joseph Smith prophesied his first and only legal wife Emma would be damned
or destroyed if she did not accept polygamy (Doctrine & Covenants 132).
Brigham Young 55 Wives and 57 Children
Brigham Young, the 2nd Prophet of Mormonism had 55 wives and 57 children!!
Must Commit Polygamy to Become Gods
Brigham Young said, "The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are
those who enter into polygamy." (Journal of Discourses, vol. 11,269) "If you want to
become a god one day you must violate the already given law of God now.
"[Doctrine and Covenants132 Verses 62-63]
Must Commit Polygamy or You Will Be Damned and Not Enter God's Glory
"He that abideth not this law (polygamy) can in no wise enter into my glory, but
shall be damned, saith the Lord." (D&C,132:27). "Now if any of you deny the
plurality of wives, I promise that you will be damned." Brigham Young
Mormonism is Not Christian