With less than two weeks to go until the Iowa caucus, polls show U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts are leading the pack of Republican presidential candidates in the Hawkeye State.
A Rasmussen Reports poll of likely caucus participants has Romney leading the field in Iowa with 25 percent. Paul, who finished a strong second in the Iowa Republican straw poll in August, is right on his heels with 20 percent, while former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich is also in the mix with 17 percent. Two other candidates -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania -- are also in double digits with 10 percent each.
Despite winning the Iowa straw poll, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota is in sixth place in the Rasmussen poll with 6 percent, just ahead of former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah, who has ignored the Hawkeye State to focus on New Hampshire. One percent back other candidates, while 8 percent remain undecided.
Having visited all 99 counties and having won the backing of Iowa conservative leader Bob Vander Plaats on Tuesday, Santorum is showing signs of momentum. The former senator from the Keystone State has a razor-thin lead over Romney among evangelical Christians who are likely to vote in the caucus, taking 19 percent while Romney takes 18 percent. The poll was taken before Santorum received the Vander Plaats endorsement.
The poll of 750 likely Iowa Republican caucus voters was taken on Dec. 19 and had a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.
Another poll released on Wednesday finds Paul leading in Iowa. A We Ask America poll of Iowa Republicans has Paul leading with 19 percent, followed by Romney with 18 percent and Gingrich with 16 percent. Bachmann pulls much better in this poll with 15 percent, followed by Perry with 11 percent, Santorum with 9 percent and Huntsman with 4 percent. Eight percent remain undecided.
The poll of 1,250 Iowa Republicans was taken on Dec. 20 and had a margin of error of +/- 2.77 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
