(CNN) - Mitt Romney remains far ahead of the rest of his rivals for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination in the first poll of likely Republican primary voters in New Hampshire conducted entirely in July.
According to an American Research Group survey released Thursday, 29 percent say they're likely to back the former governor of neighboring Massachusetts, who's making his second bid for the White House.
The poll indicates that Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota has the support of 12 percent of those questioned, with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani at nine percent, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at eight percent, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at seven percent, and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty at five percent. Everyone else is below five percent. Giuliani and Palin are considering runs for the GOP nomination, but have not taken concrete steps towards setting up campaigns.
Romney has been the overwhelming front-runner in New Hampshire polling since last year. Bachmann has now come in second in the three surveys conducted since a much-watched CNN/WMUR/New Hampshire Union Leader GOP presidential debate in mid-June. Bachmann received positive headlines for her performance at that debate.
New Hampshire comes second in the presidential primary and caucus calendar, following Iowa's caucuses.
Romney has spent a lot of time and effort in the Granite State. Winning the New Hampshire primary is crucial to his hopes of capturing his party's presidential nomination.
The American Research Group poll was conducted July 9-13, with 600 likely New Hampshire GOP primary voters questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus four percentage points.
yes, because NH is not much of a fear mongering, hate-filled state. the people tend to educate themselves on their differences....
I will not vote for " Mitt Romney " Father of five sons , all of whom did NO MILITARY SEVICE !
Sending others sons and daughters into harms way do defend America , yet not sacrificing ones own !
CORPORATE ELITIST
Romney still front-runner in NH
....And still a flip-flopping irrelevancy EVERYWHERE else.
Where this poll in New Hampshire will take Romney to????? He can win there and still will not emerge as GOP favourite. New Hampshire does not mean the rest of the US!
He may be the front runner in moderate republican New Hampshire, but he sure isn't in redneck Iowa or South Carolina.
Snookie Palin is hangin around just to sweat Mitt and get her hands on Bachmann's money and media attention. Now that she's close to saying that she's in, wingnuts are terrified. Their Wall street,Chambers of commerce masters want the debt ceiling
raised so the owl from Kentucky waved the white flag. Our great President can sit back and wait for the trainwrecks.
Makes no difference, none of them will win. See you in 2016 Repubs!
Go Romney........if not Romney, than Governor Perry......in November 2012 the American people will elect a Republican for President. obamas days are numbered and he knows it.
Flip flopper.
At this point he is the ONLY serious candidate. Rick Perry could come take this over though if he wanted to.
With most of these puppets saying exactly what you want to hear, any poll that puts Ron Paul under 5% isn't real or scientific! They can make the numbers say anything they want, and they don't want a guy who says it like it is. Yeah, you can call him goofy, but you can't say he's telling you just want you want to hear to get your vote.
April to July Mitt Romney lost 3 points Rep. Michele Bachmann Gain 11 points
May be Rep. Michele Bachmann shock the nation winning the primary
If Romney is the GOP nominee, I and many other constitutionalists will vote for either the Libertarian or Constitution nominee. Guaranteed.
Romney is one solid guy. I don't agree with all he advocates and has done, but I can say the same for all the other candidates for presdent of both parties. Any Republican who can get elected in Massachusetts has something going for him. I think we would make a fine president. Let's hope the Republicans have the good sense to nominate him and not someone further right, but unelectable.
What about Ron Paul?
I can't wait until the he faces off with President Obama and has to "back up" all his lies and allegations. Can you say TWO TIME LOSER?
He's only front runner now because he's campaigning there. Wait until the president visits. The tide will turn...
Please stop pretending to be Ronald Raygun and be yourself for once. Just admit you are one shrewd vulture speculator that made boatloads of $ eliminating jobs for your clients and replacing American jobs in third world sweatshops.
This is no surprise. He was governor of the state next door. There are many other factors that give him the lead in New Hampshire. It would be a surprise if it were Ron Paul or Herman Cain.