Support for former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich continues to surge in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

A new poll released Thursday shows Gingrich with double-digit leads in three key states — Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The Quinnipiac University survey shows Republican voters pick Gingrich over former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney by margins of 18 to 27 percent.

The assistant director of the university's polling institute says Gingrich is no longer “just the flavor of the month.”

The former House speaker rose to the top of the pack of Republican candidates as businessman Herman Cain lost support and eventually dropped out of the race following allegations of sexual harassment and an extramarital affair.

The new polling figures come less than one month before the Iowa caucuses — the first voting in the presidential nominating process.

The Quinnipiac survey also found Gingrich in the lead in Ohio in a match-up against President Barack Obama, though the president topped Gingrich in Pennsylvania and Florida.

Romney, seen by some Republicans as the strongest candidate, fared better against Mr. Obama in the poll. Romney has now turned to directly criticizing Gingrich in an attempt to derail his rival's momentum.