Louisiana Primary 2012: What to Watch For
When Louisiana conducts its Republican Party presidential primary election on Saturday, it is not who comes out on top. Instead, the message that comes out of the contest may be the most important thing. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is tied with former senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum in Ohio Republican primary, according to a poll released by Reuters/Ipsos Sunday.

Ohio holds its primary along with nine other states on Super Tuesday - March 6.

Romney, who was trailing Santorum in earlier opinion polls, have gained momentum and has tied with the latter with 32 percent support from voters in Ohio Republican primary.

Romney's fourth consecutive victory has helped him surge in the race just ahead of the Super Tuesday contests.

Winning Ohio is crucial for Romney as a win here will give him the required momentum to go all the way to secure the GOP nomination.

If Mitt Romney is able to close this out and win this race, that gives him a leg up in going all the way to the convention and winning the Republican nomination, said Ipsos pollster Chris Jackson, according to Reuters.

Romney had campaigned projecting himself as the best candidate to bring in employment and economic growth, leveraging his experience as a private entrepreneur.

A win in Ohio is a must for Santorum to keep his candidacy alive beyond the Super Tuesday contests. He has attracted huge crowds of conservatives in the state during his campaigns and if he retains the edge till Tuesday, he can still pull on a decent victory.

The poll indicates that Ohio GOP voters are divided in two groups: One group supports Santorum for his conservative principles and the other supports Romney as he is the most likely nominee and can have a better chance of beating President Obama.

According to the poll, 44 percent of the voters said they backed Romney, because they believed he had a better chance of beating Obama in November, and 37 percent said they preferred him because of his ability to improve the still-tepid economy.

While 56 percent of the voters, who backed Santorum, said that they did so because he shared their values and beliefs.

The poll has shown that the two other candidates, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, have 17 percent and 6 percent support respectively.

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