According to three polls released this week, there is a new front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination -- Gov. Rick Perry of Texas.
A poll taken by YouGov for the Economist found Perry taking 23 percent of those surveyed.Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, who had been the lead candidate in the race until the Texas governor jumped in earlier in the month, was second with 15 percent. U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas took third with 11 percent.
The rest of the field trailed in single digits. U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, who won the Iowa straw poll in Ames earlier in the month, took fourth with 9 percent, followed by businessmanHerman Cain with 8 percent. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has yet to enter the race, took sixth with 6 percent. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who is also still on the sidelines, tied former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia with 4 percent. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania trailed with 2 percent each. The poll, part of a sample of 1,000 registered voters, hada margin of error of +/- 3.7 percent andwas taken from Aug. 20-23.
Perry also led a Gallup poll released on Wednesday, taking 25 percent, followed by Romney with 14 percent. Palin and Paul tied for third with 11 percent, followed by Giuliani with 9 percent and Bachmann with 7 percent. Cain took 4 percent while Gingrich and Santorum were knotted together in seventh with 3 percent each. Huntsman lagged behind with 1 percent.
When Palin and Giuliani were taken out of the mix, Perrys lead increased marginally. The Texas governor led that scenario with 27 percent followed by Romney with 17 percent and Paul with 13 percent. Bachmann took fourth in that scenario with 10 percent while Gingrich moved up to tie Cain in fifth with 4 percent. Santorum remained at 3 percent while Huntsman continued to garner 1 percent.
The Gallup poll of 1,040 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents was taken from Aug. 17-21 and had a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.
Public Policy Polling (PPP), a firm aligned with top Democrats, released a national poll on Wednesday that found Perry leading Romney by 10 points when Palin was included in the race and by 13 points when she was left out. PPP also released a poll on Iowa, which will hold the first caucus, that showed Perry leading there.
Perry continues to garner momentum, picking up the endorsements of key Republicans across the nation. He is expected to get the backing of U.S. Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., later this month.
On Wednesday, Perry picked up a bit of steam in the Sunshine State when Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, announced that he was backing the Texas governor for the Republican presidential nomination.
President Obamas big-government, Washington experiment has cost our nation more than 2.3 million jobs, said Cannon in a statement. Meanwhile, since just June 2009, Rick Perrys Texas is responsible for approximately 40 percent of the net new jobs in America.
"America is at a crossroads. Time and time again, President Obamas agenda has damaged the confidence of the private sector and made it harder not easier to create the jobs Americans desperately need, added Cannon. The president has failed, and its time for a different approach. Governor Perry knows that we must reduce government spending. You cannot tax your way into prosperity, and you cannot borrow your way out of debt. Governor Perry's record of creating jobs and cutting spending is exactly what we need to get our country back on track, and I am excited to support his campaign to get America working again.
"I am honored to have Dean Cannon's support and look forward to working with him to build a strong campaign in Florida, said Perry. I know that with Speaker Cannon's help, we will win Florida's primary, the Republican nomination, and ultimately, the presidency."
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
