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Could Rick Santorum now be the frontrunner for the Republican nomination?

Maybe. Two new national polls out today suggest Santorum is a candidate on fire, soaring to the top of the Republican race and now in a statistical tie with Mitt Romney for the lead.

First, a poll by the Pew Research Center:

Santorum 30

Rommey 28

Newt Gingrich 17

Ron Paul 12

Second, Gallup's latest national poll:

Romney 32

Santorum 30

Gingrich 16

Paul 8

What is significant here is Santorum's momentum.  He is surging nationally (up 14 points in seven days in one poll) just as the primary battle is about to become more of a national race with 18 states holding primaries or caucuses over the next month.

I would argue that these two new polls tell us more about the direction of this race than Romney's 194-vote victory over Ron Paul this weekend in the Maine caucuses.