Santorum, Romney in dead heat nationally

Two polls released Monday found Rick Santorum in a virtual dead heat with Mitt Romney.

A new poll released by Pew Research found Santorum with 30 percent support of Republicans nationally, with Romney a close second, at 28 percent — a statistical tie within the poll's five-point margin of error.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.), with 17 percent, and Rep. Ron Paul (Texas), with 12 percent, trail the leaders. 

Santorum's 30 percent support is essentially double what he had in previous surveys. Previously, Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, polled at 14 percent in a survey conducted Jan. 14 to Jan. 16 and 16 percent from Jan. 4 to Jan. 8. The most recent poll was taken taken from Feb. 8 to Feb. 12, after Santorum scored a trifecta of victories in GOP nominating contests in Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado.

Similarly, Gallup Polling's Daily Tracking Poll found Santorum virtually tied with Romney, with 32 percent for Romney and 30 percent for Santorum. Gallup's survey has a four-point margin of error.

In the daily tracking poll, Gingrich is in third at 16 percent and Paul in last with 8 percent.

The two polls' findings come the same day that two other polls were released showing Santorum ahead in Michigan, a state where Romney was expected to perform well. Romney grew up in the state where his father served as governor and won Michigan when he ran for the GOP nomination in 2008.

Santorum has said he plans to campaign hard in Michigan and thinks he can win a decisive victory there.

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