Romney Holds Slight Lead in Gallup's Post-Election Test-of-Strength Polling

I think the headline's a little misleading, "No Early Front-Runner for 2012 GOP Presidential Nomination" (via Memeorandum).

Now that the midterm elections are over, the field for the Republican presidential nomination will begin to take shape. So far, no candidate has officially announced his or her intention to seek the nomination, though the 12 candidates Gallup tested are known or thought to be seriously considering a campaign, and none has ruled out running. Many have already made appearances in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states to hold presidential nominating contests. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has ruled out a run for president in 2012, but his name is nevertheless volunteered by 1% of Republicans.

Folks should check the second table at Gallup. Romney leads Sarah Palin 18 to 16 percent among conservatives, but 21 to 14 percent among moderate/liberals. It's interesting that Romney stretches his lead, outside the margin of error, among the latter group. He's been mostly out of the limelight, but nevertheless continues to poll well. A post-election Rasmussen survey had Romney statistically tied with Palin and Mike Huckabee. It's early. Much of this is like a beauty contest. But once we see some formal candidate announcements in 2011, the poll findings, plus fundraising totals, will contribute significantly toward pre-primary momentum for 2012.