Public Policy Polling results released this week show Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich surging to the front of the pack in Montana and gubernatorial candidate Rick Hill maintaining his lead.
PPP surveyed 700 Republican primary voters in the state between Nov. 28 and Nov. 30 and found the former speaker of the House of Representatives opening a healthy lead over the rest of the field, with 37 percent of GOP voters preferring Gingrich for president.
Here are the full results of the survey, which has a +/-3.7% margin of error.
Newt Gingrich: 37%
Ron Paul: 12%
Mitt Romney: 11%
Michele Bachmann: 10%
Herman Cain: 10%
Rick Perry: 5%
Jon Huntsman: 3%
Rick Santorum: 1%
Gary Johnson: 1%
PPP also polled Republican voters in Florida and found Gingrich opening up a big lead in that state, with support from 47 percent of GOP voters. From PPP:
The magnitude of Gingrich’s leads now is an indication that he’s appealing to every segment of the Republican electorate. He’s up with the Tea Party in both states (53% to 24% for Cain and 7% for Romney in Florida, 42% to 18% for Bachmann, 13% for Cain, 10% for Paul, and 5% for Romney in Montana.) But he’s winning over party moderates as well (33% to 22% for Romney in Florida, 31% to 17% for Romney in Montana.) Gingrich’s favorability in Florida is 72/21 and in Montana it’s 65/23. You don’t attain those kinds of numbers without having a lot of appeal to every faction in the party.
The Democratic polling company also surveyed the Montana GOP gubernatorial primary, in which many voters are still unfamiliar with candidates in the crowded field.
Rick Hill has the most name recognition and is still the early frontrunner, with support from 37 percent of Republican voters. Here are the full results:
Rick Hill: 37%
Ken Miller: 10%
Jeff Essmann: 5%
Jim Lynch: 4%
Neil Livingstone: 3%
Jim O’Hara: 3%
Corey Stapleton: 2%
Bob Fanning: 1%