Herman Cain Surges and Rick Perry Fizzles in New Poll

A new national poll from the Washington Post and ABC News found that businessman Herman Cain is surging in the Republican presidential race after his win at the Presidency 5 straw poll in Orlando last month.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney topped the poll with 25 percent while Cain tied Texas Gov. Rick Perry for second with 16 percent -- a reversal of fortune for both men from a Washington Post/ABC News poll taken at the end of August and start of September. In that poll, Perry led with 29 percent and Cain lagged well behind the front-runners with 4 percent.

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas stood in fourth in the new poll with 11 percent, followed by former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota who were knotted together in fifth with 7 percent. Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum garnered 2 percent while former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah lagged behind with 1 percent.

The question of Americans leaning toward voting in the Republican primary was part of a national sample of 1,002 adults taken from Sept. 29 through Oct. 2 and the poll had a margin of error of +/- 4 percent. The sample of Republicans and Republican leaners had a margin of error of +/- 6 percent.