Poll: Santorum's Lead In Pa. Evaporates
By Tony Romeo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The latest Franklin and Marshall College Poll shows that Rick Santorum's commanding lead among Pennsylvania Republicans has evaporated.
In the Franklin and Marshall College Poll a month ago, Santorum had a staggering 29-point lead among Pennsylvania GOP voters. But the school's latest poll shows Mitt Romney virtually eliminating that gap, trailing by just two points, 30-percent to 28-percent.
Poll Director Terry Madonna believes one key factor is that over the last month, Santorum has gone off message.
"Instead of focusing on the economy and foreign affairs – areas of debate that he did very well in for eight months – he has gotten into a lot of social and cultural issues, many of them controversial, and many of them in a provocative manner."
In addition, Madonna says Santorum has been unable to show he can win big industrial states like Pennsylvania, losing in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.
