Natalie Gonnella
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With Perry in, Pawlenty out and Bachmann taking the Ames title, it's been a whirlwind week in the race for the Republican nomination, and with momentum only expected to grow, GOP voters are wasting little time when it comes to reaffirming their allegiances.
According to the latest analysis from Rasmussen Reports, despite being just days into his campaign, Rick Perry has already managed to accrue a double digit lead over his closest opponents - a significant jump in support which Scott Rasmussen attributes to "entering the race at precisely the right time." Overall:
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely Republican Primary voters, taken Monday night, finds Perry with 29% support. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who ran unsuccessfully for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008, earns 18% of the vote, while Bachmann, the Minnesota congresswoman who won the high-profile Ames Straw Poll in Iowa on Saturday, picks up 13%.
Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who was a close second to Bachmann on Saturday, has the support of nine percent (9%) of Likely Primary Voters, followed by Georgia businessman Herman Cain at six percent (6%) and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich with five percent (5%). Rick Santorum, former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, and ex-Utah Governor Jon Huntsman each get one percent (1%) support, while Michigan Congressman Thaddeus McCotter comes in statistically at zero.
Sixteen percent (16%) of primary voters remain undecided.
With five GOP debates scheduled this fall, the first for Perry since officially announcing his presidential campaign, it will be interesting to see how voters' views will continue to fluctuate as candidates seek to set themselves apart from the rest of the competition.
The full analysis from Rasmussen's latest poll is available to view here.
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