Mitt Romney’s lead in the Republican primary race has been erased. According to a new poll by The New York Times, he and Rick Santorum are effectively tied, with Santorum's 30–27 lead falling within the margin of sampling error. Fellow candidates Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich lag much further behind, with Newt in fourth place with support from only 10 percent of Republican primary voters. Analysis of the poll by the Times suggests a trend of overall instability in this primary race that has allowed candidates’ support to quickly rise and fall.
