KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Mitt Romney is on top in Iowa — but he’d better watch out for Santor-mentum.
The latest Des Moines Register poll — known as the gold standard in tricky pre-caucus polling — shows Romney, who has been drawing big crowds here, leading with 24 percent.
Rep. Ron Paul is right behind with 22 percent, but former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is gaining at 15 percent, confirming a surge in other polls after Santorum got the endorsement of key evangelical leaders and Newt Gingrich started to slide.
Taking just the final two days of the four-day poll, Santorum jumps to second place, at 21 percent, pushing Paul down to 18 percent and adding to the sense of motion.
“Momentum’s name is Rick Santorum,” said J. Ann Selzer, who conducted the poll.
Gingrich is at 12 percent, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is at 11 percent, and Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is at 7 percent.
The burst of energy for Santorum was palpable as he campaigned in rural towns here yesterday.
“Things have changed a little bit,” Santorum joked as he eyed a crowd of about 30 supporters — and at least as many members of the national media — at the town library in Indianola, south of Des Moines.
Santorum urged caucus-goers to “trust your own heart, trust your own head, trust your gut” when choosing whom to back Tuesday.
Santorum’s emphasis on faith and pro-life causes has won him strong support, though many have doubted his ability to win.
Santorum himself revealed no such doubts.
“That’s why I’ve always scratched my head at suggestions that the guy that can win is a guy that ran as a liberal to win,” he told a CBS News crew in a jab at Romney.
“He’s never run as a conservative and won anything. Why would you think that he could attract votes from the communities that I grew up in?”
Santorum kept voters waiting while he gave an interview to NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, but only one voter signed a volunteer caucus sheet.
“Hell, there’s more press than there is people,” joked Carl Schwanebeck, of Knoxville.
“Rick’s done it, I think, the right way, going around and meeting everyone,” said Joe Pollpeter of West Des Moines. He has hit all 99 of Iowa’s counties, but lacks campaign cash.
Romney started his day in New Hampshire, where he has a big lead in the polls, then flew to Iowa to try to seize on his gains here to score an early win.
“This president has been a failure,” Romney told hundreds of supporters packed into the Old Salt Restaurant in Hampton, NH.
Results of a Des Moines Register poll, taken last Tuesday through Friday, of likely Republican caucusgoers. The Iowa Caucuses will take place Tuesday.
Mitt Romney 24%
Ron Paul 22%
Rick Santorum 15%
(but if only the last two days of polling were considered, Santorum would be in second place with 21%, with Paul falling to 18%)
Newt Gingrich 12%
Rick Perry: 11%
Michele Bachmann: 7%
41% of caucusgoers say they could still be persuaded to change their minds.