CNN/TIME Poll: Romney Leads Republican Rivals in First Four Primary States
With less than three months before voting begins for the Republican presidential nomination, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is outpacing the GOP field in the first four primary states, according to a new CNN/TIME/ORC poll. Former pizza magnate Herman Cain is running second in each pivotal early battleground.
Romney boasts double-digit leads over his Republican rivals in both New Hampshire and Florida. In New Hampshire, the former Massachusetts governor collects a commanding 40% of the vote from registered Republicans and independents who cast a ballot in the 2008 GOP primary, lapping Cain’s 13% and Texas congressman Ron Paul’s 12%. Romney has the support of 30% of registered Republicans in the Sunshine State, a comfortable lead over Cain’s 18% and the 9% captured by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Governor Rick Perry.
Among the more socially conservative Republican voters of Iowa and South Carolina, Romney’s edge is slimmer. Despite scarcely venturing to the nation’s first caucus state, Romney leads with 24% of registered Republicans in Iowa, a three-point edge over Cain’s 21% and within the margin of error. He’s in a 25% to 23% statistical tie with the former Godfather’s Pizza boss among GOP voters and independents who skew Republican in South Carolina. In both states, Paul sits in third place with 12% of the vote.
