Only Ron Paul and Romney Can Beat Barack Obama: Latest Poll

Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Ron Paul have better a chance of defeating incumbent President Barack Obama nationally, according to the latest USA Today/Gallup poll results.

Ron Paul, who has improved his national acceptability considerably in the past month, is behind Obama just by three points. Paul received 46 percent while Obama received 49 percent of votes from the registered voters.

Considering the survey's margin of error at plus or minus five points, Paul does have a chance of beating Obama in a direct duel.

According to the USA Today/Gallup poll, Romney has tied with Obama nationally at 48 percent and holds an edge over other Republican candidates in electability against the incumbent president.

The remaining two Republican candidates, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, perform badly against Obama. While Santorum has a deficit of eight points with Obama, in case of a head- to-head match with him, Gingrich trails the president by 12 points in a one-on-one battle.

The survey clearly indicates that when it comes to the national acceptability and fight against Obama, only Romney and Paul have a chance of defeating the president.

Meanwhile, the poll indicates that Gingrich has lost much of the edge he had after his South Carolina victory.

Similar polls by Rasmussen Reports also show Gingrich trailing Obama by 17 points while Romney trails Obama by six points. Though he is in a dead-heat with Romney in Republican national presidential polls, Gingrich is losing his ground when it comes to a duel with Obama.