Opinion polls show Republican candidate Rick Santorum now holds momentum over front-runner Mitt Romney. 

According to ABC News, Santorum moved 2 percentage points ahead of Romney in a national poll by the Pew Research Center released on Monday and also came within 2 percentage points of Romney in a national Gallup poll.

A national CBS News/New York Times Poll also shows 30 percent of Republican primary voters support Santorumn over Romney. Ron Paul is now in third, followed by Newt Gingrich. According to the poll, Santorum receives strong backing from conservatives, tea party supporters and white evangelicals.