Daily Kos Elections Polling Wrap: Is there really Newt-mentum in advance of South Carolina?

This morning, Chuck Todd and the rest of the gang at MSNBC's First Read sounded a very interesting alarm:

There are some increasing signs -- though all of it anecdotal for now -- that Newt Gingrich is gaining some momentum three days before the South Carolina primary.

First was his strong debate performance on Monday, from which his campaign cut a new TV ad. Second, the Romney campaign today is holding a conference call (featuring former Sen. Jim Talent and former Rep. Susan Molinari) with the sole purpose of hitting Gingrich, and we haven’t seen one of those from the Romney camp since Iowa. And third, Sarah Palin sort of endorsed Gingrich last night, saying per NBC’s Alex Moe: “If I had to vote in South Carolina, in order to keep this thing going, I’d vote for Newt and I would want this to continue.”

Within hours, as if prompted by the invisible hand of the Peacock, polling data began to surface, on a national level, to buttress the point of Todd and company:

NATIONAL (CBS News): Romney 28, Gingrich 21, Santorum 16, Paul 15, Perry 7, Huntsman 2

NATIONAL (Gallup): Romney 33, Gingrich 16, Santorum 14, Paul 12, Perry 7

NATIONAL (Pew): Romney 31, Gingrich 16, Paul 15, Santorum 14, Perry 5, Huntsman 2

NATIONAL (Rasmussen): Romney 30, Gingrich 27, Santorum 15, Paul 13, Perry 4

FLORIDA (CNN/Opinion Research): Romney 43, Santorum 19, Gingrich 18, Paul 9, Perry 2

NEW JERSEY (Quinnipiac): Romney 40, Gingrich 14, Santorum 14, Paul 12, Huntsman 4, Perry 2

OHIO (Quinnipiac): Romney 27, Santorum 18, Gingrich 17, Paul 10, Perry 4, Huntsman 2

SOUTH CAROLINA (CNN/Opinion Research): Romney 33, Gingrich 23, Santorum 16, Paul 13, Perry 6

The general election numbers, which could take on more significance if Mitt Romney is able to close the deal on Saturday, portend a toss-up, but a race where Mitt Romney may well be losing some of his luster as a candidate with the general electorate:

NATIONAL (Pew): Obama d. Romney (50-45); Obama d. Romney and Ron Paul (44-32-18)

NEW JERSEY (Quinnipiac): Obama d. Romney (48-38)

OHIO (Quinnipiac): Obama d. Romney (44-42); Obama d. Paul (48-39); Obama d. Santorum (48-37); Obama d. Gingrich (52-38)

Some thoughts about "Newtmentum II: The Sequel" past the jump.