Rasmussen poll gives Romney the biggest lead yet over Obama

A new poll has given Mitt Romney the widest lead yet over President Obama in a head-to-head matchup for the White House. 

According to a new poll conducted by the conservative-leaning Rasmussen Reports, Romney leads Obama 45 percent to 39 percent.

{mosads}The poll also suggests that Romney is the only GOP candidate who can beat Obama in 2012. Against Newt Gingrich, Obama leads 47 percent to 37 percent. The poll found the same margin for Obama in a matchup against Rick Santorum.

Of the GOP field, Obama does the best against Michele Bachmann, with 48 percent support against Bachmann’s 35 percent.

The poll was conducted Dec. 27-28. A week earlier, Rasmussen Reports released a poll showing Romney narrowly behind Obama, with the president at 44 percent and Romney at 41 percent. Two weeks ago, Rasmussen found Romney narrowly leading 43 percent to 42 percent.

The poll’s results come as the former Massachusetts governor looks to gain momentum from a likely victory in the New Hampshire primary and a strong showing in Iowa. A victory in Iowa — the state holds the first-in-the-nation caucus — could lock up the GOP nomination for Romney. 

The poll was conducted among 1,000 likely voters on Dec. 27 to 28 and has a margin of error of three percentage points.