Santorum tops Republican polls - FT.com Rick Santorum is riding high in the polls following his surprise hat-trick in the Republican presidential nomination contest last week, with a string of new surveys putting him ahead of Mitt Romney. The nomination is again turning into a two-man race, with the socially conservative Mr Santorum battling it out with Mr Romney, the default frontrunner, for Michigan and Arizona, the next states to vote. Mr Santorum has been seen as a long-shot, but his victories in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri last week have catapulted him to the front of the field. This makes him the latest candidate to jostle with Mr Romney for the lead, reflecting the conservative base's continued reservations about nominating the former Massachusetts governor, who is viewed as too moderate. "This is not about Santorum, this is about Romney," said Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report. Romney has not been able to broaden his appeal, he has not been able to make inroads among conservative voters. Mr Santorum pulled slightly ahead of Mr Romney in a national CBS News/New York Times Poll published on Tuesday, with 30 per cent of Republican primary voters surveyed saying they supported Mr Santorum for the nomination, up from just 16 per cent a month ago. This gave him a three-point lead over Mr Romney, within the poll's margin of error, but underlines the gains he has made since last week's wins. Libertarian Ron Paul came in at 12 per cent while Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, had only 10 per cent support. Notably, nearly four in 10 voters who called themselves conservatives, evangelical voters or Tea Party supporters backed Mr Santorum. A month ago, no candidate had a clear edge with any of those groups. The poll comes on the heels of a Pew Research Center survey giving Mr Santorum a two-point lead, although the latest Gallup daily tracking poll out Mr Romney ahead by the same margin. Mr Santorum is hoping for another upset victory on February 28 in Michigan, the state in which Mr Romney was born and raised, and where his father led a car company before becoming governor. Mr Romney won Michigan in the 2008 primary against John McCain, but he is now being forced to commit time and money in the state to fend off Mr Santorum. Mr Santorum will on Thursday address the Detroit Economic Club in Michigan, while Mr Romney will address it next Friday. An American Research Group poll of likely Republican primary voters published on Tuesday put Mr Santorum ahead of Mr Romney in Michigan, 33 per cent to 27 per cent. Mr Romney has repeatedly railed against the bail-out that rescued the state's crucial auto industry, saying that Detroit should be allowed to go "bankrupt." The recent improvement in the US auto companies" performance has helped to improve the state's finances. Mr Santorum's campaign has already started putting television ads on the air in Michigan, but his team is girding for a tough race. "We're under no illusion that this is Romney's home state and he's in a good spot," Alice Stewart, Mr Santorum's spokeswoman, told ABC. It's going to be a tough battle, but Rick has the right message and has the momentum. Mr Romney's campaign and supporters are taking the threat of Mr Santorum seriously and is preparing for a media blitz in Arizona and Michigan. They are also buying up air time in Ohio, one of the 10 states to vote on "Super Tuesday," March 6. Mr Romney's supporters launched a no-holds-barred campaign against Mr Gingrich when he surged in the polls last month. It relied heavily on negative attack ads hitting at the former speaker's values and morals, playing on evangelicals" discomfort over his three marriages. But Mr Romney's advisers say they cannot use a similar tactic against Mr Santorum, a social conservative with seven children. Instead, the campaign will seek to portray Mr Santorum as fiscally irresponsible, someone who voted for earmarks during his two terms as a Pennsylvania senator, one adviser told the FT. Mr Rothenberg said that if the competition narrows to a two-person race, Mr Santorum could inflict significant damage. "There is a large element of the party that does not trust Mitt Romney, so in a I wouldn't see it as a done deal," he said. Romney's still the likely nominee, but it's not over until it's over.