CNN/Time poll: Mitt Romney leads Iowa, strong across early states
By _ALEXANDER BURNS_ (http://www.politico.com/reporters/AlexanderBurns.html) | 10/26/11 A hot-off-the-presses _CNN/Time poll_ (http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/26/poll-romney-at-or-tied-for-top-spot-in-first-4-states-to-vote/) shows Mitt Romney in first place in all the January primary and caucus states, starting with Iowa's leadoff caucuses. Romney holds a narrow edge in Iowa, taking 24 percent to Herman Cain's 21 percent, Ron Paul's 12 percent and Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry's 10 percent. In New Hampshire and Florida, he has wider leads. Romney is ahead of Cain by 27 points - 40 percent to 13 percent - in New Hampshire. He's up by 12 points - 30 percent to 18 percent - in Florida. Only South Carolina is a closer race than Iowa: There, Romney has 25 percent of the vote to Cain's 23 percent, Paul's 12 percent and Perry's 11 percent. The numbers confirm that Romney remains the man to beat, nationally and across the early-state map. But with the exception of New Hampshire, where Romney has held a strong advantage throughout the race, the poll also shows a fluid contest with much of the party still intrigued by the array of candidates lined up against Romney. Romney's enduring base in Iowa could end up being an essential asset for his campaign, as it leaves open the possibility of an early victory that would help him lock down the GOP nomination quickly. Perry is the only other candidate in the race with the infrastructure and money to compete with Romney nationally, and if he can't get a stronger perch in Iowa and South Carolina, even he'll be hard-pressed to do that. Read more: _http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/66937.html#ixzz1c0GNMfp8_ (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/66937.html#ixzz1c0GNMfp8) -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
