Perry Zooms to Front of Pack for 2012 GOP Nomination

(USA Today)…Just days after launching his campaign, Texas Governor Rick Perry surged into the lead of the race for the Republican nomination, according to a new Gallup poll released today.  Perry leads former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, the previous front-runner, by 12 percentage points, 29%-17%. Texas Rep. Ron Paul places third with 10% support from those surveyed, followed by Rep. Michele Bachmann with 10%.
Romney maintained a fragile lead in Gallup’s polls for months and Perry’s ability to surpass him after only one full week of campaigning, at the time of the poll, shows how vulnerable Romney’s frontrunner status continues to be.  In addition, Perry’s entrance into the race has slowed Bachmann’s steady rise in the polls despite her straw poll win in Iowa.
The poll did not reflect Perry’s rocky transition from Texas governor to presidential candidate.  In his first days on the trail, Perry received criticism from the right and the left after his controversial comments on evolution, climate change and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s handling of the economy.  Businessman Herman Cain received 4% of the vote. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Sen. Rick Santorum each received 3 %. Former ambassador to China Jon Huntsman received 1% of the vote.

The poll showed there was also interest in runs by former Alaska governor Sarah Palin and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Palin has indicated she would make her decision by the end September, while Giuliani has said he will make his mind up by the end of the summer.  However, their addition to the poll does little to change the results.
Of the Republicans and Republican-leaning Independent surveyed, 25% said Perry would be their first choice to be the GOP nominee in 2012. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney received 14 % of the vote, while former Alaska Sarah Palin and Texas Rep. Ron Paul received 11 % each.  Tea Party darling Rep. Michele Bachmann finished a distant fifth with 7 %, behind former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani who, like Palin, is rumored to be mulling a bid but has not announced his future plans.
When Giuliani and Palin were removed from the list of contenders, Perry received 29 % of the vote followed by Romney at 17%, Paul at 13% and Bachmann at 10%.  Perry announced his intention to run for president on Aug. 13. Prior to that announcement, Perry received 15% of the vote, behind Romney who had 17%.  Asked who would be their first or second choice Perry fared even better. Forty percent of those surveyed said Perry would be either their first or second choice for the Republican nominee. Romney finished next with 26%, followed by Palin at 21% and Bachmann at 20%.
The poll of 1,040 adults was taken August 17-21 and has a margin of error of +/- 4 percentage points.