US elections: Mitt Romney gains momentum ahead of 'Super Tuesday'

WASHINGTON: Republican front-runner Mitt Romney appears to have gained momentum ahead of the crucial 'Super Tuesday' contests that will be a make or break for all the primary candidates fighting for the ticket to contest incumbent Barack Obama in the presidential election.

Voters in 10 States would get an opportunity to pick their choice from among the four Republican candidates - Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul - the party's nominee for the November presidential elections.

A combination of all recent polls compiled by RealClearPolitics showed Romney as having a national lead of 12.7 per centage points against his nearest Republican rival Santorum.

However, in the state like Ohio, Romney was tied with Santorum, who managed to attract the Republicans' conservative vote base.

A CNN/ORC International poll released yesterday showed both Romney and Santorum coming in at 32 per cent among likely Republican voters.

The four candidates made their last ditch efforts to win over the voters and intensified their attacks on others.

Romney, who is ahead of the other three candidates in the Republican primary that began in January, has won the maximum number of States so far and has the largest number of delegates with him.

Romney, the former Massachusetts Governor, said yesterday that he is contesting the elections to restore the promise of America.

"Taken together, the plan I'm offering represents the most substantial reform of the federal government in modern history. I aim for more jobs, less debt, smaller government. I aim to restore the promise of America. Nothing less," he said.

Gingrich, the former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, was ahead of the rest of his rivals in his home state of Georgia.

Having won only one State of South Carolina so far, Gingrich, however, is hoping against hope that the 'Super Tuesday' would be able to give him the necessary momentum to continue with his campaign.

Though Gingrich is not giving up, analysts here said that Santorum, the former Pennsylvania Senator, was the only real challenger to Romney.