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Poll: Santorum Leads Romney Among Pennsylvania Republican Voters

By Tony Romeo

HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) – There is more good news for Rick Santorum after his primary wins in the South on Tuesday. A new poll shows the former Pennsylvania senator is in good shape in his home state.

A new Quinnipiac University poll shows Santorum leading Mitt Romney 36-percent to 22-percent among Republican voters in Pennsylvania.

Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, says that's pretty remarkable considering how Santorum was trounced in his 2006 Senate re-election bid.

"Some might say it's because he's against weak opponents. Some might say he's the only true conservative in the race. Some might say there's second chances out there," Malloy said.

Ron Paul has 12-percent, and another native Pennsylvanian, Newt Gingrich, has just 8-percent among GOP voters.

Among all voters, President Barack Obama leads Romney, Paul and Gingrich in head-to-head match-ups. But despite his highest approval rating in a year, the president finds himself in a virtual dead heat with Santorum, leading by just one point, 45-percent to 44-percent.

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