NEW YORK (PNN) - February 1, 2012 - A new USA Today/Gallup poll indicates that of the four remaining contenders for the GOP nomination, only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul are capable of challenging and defeating the illegitimate president.

According to the poll, Congressman Paul trails Obama by just three percentage points at 49%-46%. That is within the five point margin of error and could easily be overturned if Paul were to win the nomination.

The poll finds that Romney ties nationally with Obama in a direct head to head, with both receiving 48%.

In contrast, Rick Santorum trails Obama nationally by eight points, while Newt Gingrich lags even further behind, with a 12-point deficit.

The poll clearly indicates that Gingrich and Santorum are polarizing figures and do not have the broad national electability that Romney and Paul possess.

Ron Paul, known widely as The Patriot Congressman, made the case during the Florida debate last week that he is the best placed candidate to go head to head with Obama in a general election.

“We have some pretty good evidence that I’ll do quite well and have a better chance than the rest to beat him, because if you do a national poll, I do very, very well against Obama,” noted the Congressman.

This latest poll adds even more weight to those from previous months that have shown similar trends.