Romney and Palin lead among reduced 2012 field, as Paul, Gingrich and Cain tie for third

Natalie Gonnella
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In their first survey update of Republican nomination preferences since a flurry of recent announcements, Gallup finds that Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin continue to retain the highest level of voter support among the prospective pool of presidential candidates. 

Of the 10 Republicans included in the revised list of possible contenders, over two thirds have officially announced their candidacies/established exploratory committees, with Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain (all officially declared candidates) essentially tied for third.  Notably, nearly a quarter of voters do not a clear candidate preference at this point.

Although Jon Huntsmans and Michele Bachmann are expected to join the race, Sarah Palin's status remains less certain.  In examining the field after rellocating Palin supporters (using voters second choice), Gallup found that under this scenario, Romney continues to lead with 19%, followed by Gingrich and Paul with 12% each.  Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann come third, both tied with 7% of voter support.

The full results of Gallup's latest look at voter support for the 2012 field is available to view here.