New York, Dec 30 : Front-runner among Republican candidates Mitt Romney has overtaken President Obama in a new national poll shows that the GOP favorite could reach the White House.

Romney was favored by 45 percent of likely voters to 39 percent for the President, new Rasmussen Reports survey found.

The new numbers followed polls showing the former Massachusetts governor holding a lead heading into Tuesday's Iowa caucuses and the January 10 New Hampshire primary - and a reinvigorated Romney was pumped.

"What an audience! What a crowd! This is amazing!" he told supporters at a plastics factory in North Liberty.

At another Iowa campaign stop, Romney sounded upbeat about his campaign's momentum in the final days of 2011, The Daily News reports.

The Rasmussen poll previously had the President and Romney virtually deadlocked.

A week ago, Romney trailed Obama 44 percent to 41 percent - and two weeks ago Romney edged the President 43 percent to 42 percent.

The new numbers also marked "the biggest lead a named Republican candidate has held over the incumbent," the polling firm reported. (ANI)