Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum holds a substantial lead over the rest of the Republican presidential field in Texas, according to a new poll of primary voters there.
The poll, by Wilson Perkins Allen Opinion Research, put Mr. Santorum at 35 percent support among likely voters, ahead of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at 27 percent and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 20 percent. Rep. Ron Paul, a Texan, draws just 8 percent support.
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Texas votes on May 29, and it is the second-biggest prize on the Republican delegate board, behind California.
Mr. Santorum’s showing in the polls there likely gives him added incentive to stay in the race, following his wins in Alabama and Mississippi on Tuesday.
The poll of 750 likely voters was taken March 11-13 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
A Rasmussen Reports poll taken Monday put Mr. Romney slightly ahead of Mr. Santorum, 32 percent to 30 percent, with Mr. Gingrich trailing at 19 percent.
