Rasmussen poll: Romney spikes in SC

Mitt Romney has extended his lead in South Carolina, according to the latest survey from conservative polling outlet Rasmussen.

Romney is up to 35 percent support among likely GOP voters in the Palmetto State, a seven-point gain over last week. Newt Gingrich is in second place at 21 percent, followed by Rick Santorum and Ron Paul at 16 percent, and Rick Perry and Jon Huntsman at 5 percent.

Huntsman pulled out of the race on Sunday and endorsed Romney.

Unlike the polls leading up to the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, the Rasmussen poll shows the field is less fluid heading into South Carolina — only 33 percent said they might still change their minds before Saturday.

Romney has already won in both Iowa and New Hampshire. This is the latest poll to find the former Massachusetts governor pulling away from the GOP field in South Carolina, and he presently holds a seemingly insurmountable lead in Florida as well.

The poll is devastating for the Perry campaign. After getting drubbed in New Hampshire, the Texas governor decided to carry on in hopes of making inroads with South Carolina’s more conservative electorate. 

Gingrich and Santorum are the candidates now locked in a battle to be the conservative alternative to Romney.

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