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Poll shows Romney losing ground to Santorum in Arizona

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Rick Santorum is within striking distance of Mitt Romney in Arizona, a state that was considered reliable Romney territory just weeks ago, according to a new TIME/CNN poll.

Thirty-six percent of likely Republican voters back Romney while 32% support Santorum. The poll, which was conducted Sunday through Monday, has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points, meaning the two candidates are in a statistical dead heat.

Newt Gingrich ranks third with 18% support, followed by Ron Paul with 6%.

It is the second poll this week to find Romney and Santorum running neck-and-neck in Arizona, with just one week before Arizona’s GOP presidential primary. Previous polls showed Romney with double-digit leads over his competitors in the state, where he placed second behind John McCain in 2008.

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Not surprisingly, social conservatives have been key to Santorum’s surge.

He leads Romney 37% to 28% among “born-again” Christians. And the candidates are tied among voters who described themselves as conservatives, as “blue-collar” voters and as supporters of the tea party movement, according to a Time analysis of the poll results.

Romney, however, enjoys substantial leads among voters who make less than $50,000/year, “white-collar Republicans, college graduates and voters who are not tea party supporters.

kim.geiger@latimes.com

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