UT/TT GOP Primary Poll: Santorum up Big with 45% … Gingrich a Distant Second with 18%

Don’t mess with Santorum in Texas …

Rick Santorum appears to be on a roll. He is up in Michigan and Ohio; however, he is blowing away the competition in the Lone Star state of Texas. Sanotum has a commanding lead in a recent UT/TT poll with 45% of the vote. Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney are a distant second and third with 18% and 16%, respectively. Although the polling is considered volatile, for the time being Santorum is up big in Texas.

Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania has a commanding lead among Republican presidential candidates in Texas, according to a new University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll.

Santorum would get the votes of 45 percent of the respondents if the election were held today, according to the survey. The other three candidates in the GOP race — former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas — are clustered well behind. Gingrich got 18 percent, Romney received 16 percent and Paul garnered 14 percent.

As pointed out by The Blaze, the Texas poll also indicates that all candidates have a significant lead over Barack Obama in a head to head match up