Washington, Feb 11 : Former US Senator Rick Santorum could give President Barack Obama tough competition in the White House if he is elected as the Republican presidential nominee, a new poll has suggested.

According to a Rasmussen survey, Santorum trails Obama by just four percent in a potential head-to-head matchup.

The poll, that covered 1500 likely voters, showed that Obama would get 46 percent of the vote compared to Santorum’s 42 percent, The New York Daily News reports.

The poll also showed Obama crushing Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney by ten percentage points in a hypothetical matchup.

Obama would get 50 percent of the vote to Romney’s 40 percent.

According to the report, it is the largest lead against Romney that Obama has enjoyed in the past year.

It is also the first time that Obama has reached the 50 percent mark against the former Massachusetts governor in a Rasmussen survey. (ANI)