Poll: Gingrich polls well against Obama

NEW YORK, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich is the strongest GOP candidate when matched head to head with President Obama, a McClatchy-Marist Poll indicated.

The former U.S. House speaker is just 2 percentage points behind Obama, 47 percent to 45 percent, survey results released Tuesday indicated.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was 4 percentage points behind Obama, 48 percent to 44 percent. Obama polled 49 percent to 41 percent over U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, was favored 49 percent to 39 percent over Georgia businessman Herman Cain and outpolled Texas Gov. Rick Perry, 51 percent to 40 percent, results indicated.

Poll results last week indicated Gingrich moved ahead of Cain into second place behind Romney.

"If this fall has been about anything, it's been the search for the anyone-but-Romney alternative," said Lee Miringoff, director of Marist College Institute for Public Opinion in New York, which conducted the national survey. "Clearly the next two weeks will be telling whether this is fleeting for Gingrich, or is he now the person around whom the more conservative elements of the party will coalesce."

Results are based on a nationwide telephone survey of 1,026 adults conducted Nov. 8-10. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.