Politics

Romney, Palin, Huckabee lead in 2012 GOP presidential poll

Jeff Winkler Contributor
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The 2010 midterm elections are over, so that means it’s time to focus entirely on the 2012 presidential race. For likely Republican voters, that would mean, as of now, a match-up between Barrack Obama and … Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee or Sarah Palin.

If the primary was held today, 20 percent of Republican voters said they would vote for Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, while Huckabee and Palin each garnered 19 percent, according to a Rasmussen poll released Thursday.

Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, faired better than the either Romney or Palin with the fairer sex.

The results from this survey vary slightly from one conducted in October 2009 when Huckabee and Romney polled at 29 and 24 percent, respectively. Palin increased her number this time around by one point.

As for other potential 2012 candidates, only one other potential GOP candidate of the seven polled by Rasmussen breaks single digits — former House Speaker Newt Gingrich with 13 percent. Others appearing in the poll include Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (6%), Texas Rep. Ron Paul (5%), and Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (3%).

Fifteen percent of respondents said they preferred some other candidate or were currently undecided.