Mitt Romney Leads in New Hampshire While Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul Battle for Second

With less than a month to go until the New Hampshire primary, a poll unveiled on Tuesday found that former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts continues to lead the pack of Republican presidential candidates in the Granite State while U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas closes in on former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich for second in the nations first primary.

The Rasmussen Reports poll of likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters finds Romney, who has led the polls in the Granite State, out front with 33 percent. Gingrich places second with 22 percent while Paul is in third at 18 percent. Former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah, who has focused on New Hampshire, takes fourth with 10 percent. In a Rasmussen poll at the end of November, Romney took 34 percent followed by Gingrich with 24 percent, Paul with 14 percent and Huntsman with 11 percent.

The rest of the field struggles to break through in New Hampshire. Three candidates -- U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania -- are tied in the back of the pack with 3 percent each.

The race remains fluid in New Hampshire -- with 53 percent of those surveyed saying they are open to backing other candidates.

The poll of 721 likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters was taken on Dec. 12 and had a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.