U.S. Republican Presidential candidate and Texas Governor Rick Perry (L) greets attendees at a campaign stop in Spencer, Iowa December 17, 2011.
Posted on 12/19/2011 1:19:16 PM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, now leads the race for the Republican nomination for president — in Iowa.
Iowa’s Jan. 3, 2012, caucuses kick off the 2012 primary election season. Recent polls in Iowa had shown Paul gaining ground on the race’s frontrunner, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Two Iowa polls released Dec. 19 now show Paul leading by 3 and 6 points, respectively.
An Insider Advantage poll has Paul at 24 percent; former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at 18 percent; Texas Gov. Rick Perry at 16 percent; Gingrich at 13 percent; U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., at 10 percent; former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman at 4 percent; and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., at 3 percent.
Meantime, Public Policy Polling has Paul at 23 percent; Romney at 20 percent; Gingrich at 14 percent; Perry, Bachmann and Santorum at 10 percent; and Huntsman at 4 percent.
Despite his gains in Iowa, Paul has failed to gain much ground in national polls. In a Gallup Tracking poll released Dec. 19, Paul remains third at 11 percent, trailing Gingrich at 26 percent and Romney at 24 percent.
Some have suggested a Paul victory in Iowa would deliver a blow to Gingrich’s campaign, as Romney is expected to win the next primary of the season, the Jan. 10, 2012, New Hampshire primary.
Iowa’s caucuses are the first test in the primary election season. George W. Bush in 2000 and Barack Obama in 2008 are the only non-incumbent candidates to win their party’s caucus in Iowa and go on to win the general election.
Paul, 76, favors a limited government and is making his third run at the presidency. He first ran as a Libertarian in 1988, then as a Republican in 2008. In the 2008 primary, Paul failed to win a single state, but finished second in 10 states and third in 17 states.
Presidential Candidate [Perry] Holds Agriculture Conference Call “You can’t tell me that America is not exceptional. You can't tell me that because I've seen it”
"Rick Perry has always remained faithful." -- First Lieutenant Daniel P. Moran
[6:45] Medal recipients tell of their sacrifice and the sacrifice of their fellow heroes -- and why they support Rick Perry.
Red State: Don’t Settle: Rick Perry for President.
Red State: I Will Vote for Governor Rick Perry in SC.
Big Government: A Time For Choosing: Rick Perry for President
Paul is far on the other side of looney. As a Texan, I have seen the Ron Paul act for over forty years and, frankly, the guy may be a fine doctor but he is screwy as peach orchard bore. God help us if he ever became president. He would be a match for the outrageous actions of Obama. We wouldn’t know which end of his axis would be on top from one hour to the next. And the people that support him? Geeze! They must be loonier than Paul himself.
Oh stop. This is just nonsense. Ron Paul has less chance of being President of the US then my cat!
This poll has been discredited in many threads
I bet a lot of Dems were thinking the same thing in ‘07 about Obama...
I hate the fact that I even have to consider this, but if my choices are Romney and Paul, I will vote for Romney.
Iran has the potential to ruin our whole century.
I know these polls are close because Jeb Bush and Palin have commented on new candidates jumping in the race. I can only assume they mean themselves.
this is about Perry moving up, not Paul.
Paul could never win the Republican nomination. Perry can. This is about the States vs the RNC.
If Paul wins Iowa, then he stands a darn good chance of winning New Hampshire. Which turns this into a real interesting nomination race. Gingrich is already fading at any rate, and Romney has his 30% ceiling. I see this turning into a 3-way race between Paul, Romney and Perry-Bachmann-Santorum...
U.S. Republican Presidential candidate and Texas Governor Rick Perry (L) greets attendees at a campaign stop in Spencer, Iowa December 17, 2011.
Rick Perry will win Iowa.
[I see this turning into a 3-way race between Paul, Romney and Perry-Bachmann-Santorum...]
No, you cannot see crap. This means Romney wins, followed by Obama winning another term.
Perry....I’ve stuck by him from the beginning.
This is about power and about Romney losing.
Someone is floating a story about Palin and Bush getting into the race. Now I ask you, why? To stop Paul? To give RINO's someone besides Romney to vote for?
This is about Perry moving 10 points in the last couple of weeks. They thought he was toast.
Look for the next poll to have Perry even closer to 1st. This scares the RNC because the Republican Governors are fighting the National Party for power.
Perry's campaign is a legitimate State's Rights movement which scares everyone.
And by discredited, we mean “our candidate isn’t on top, so it’s a bad poll naah naah naah I can’t here you I’ve got me hands over my ears all is well” kind of way.
most polls are in fact easily “discredited”. But they are useful when people who support certain “front-runners” (based on faulty polls) tell us that the polls have spoken and we must all fall in line.
According to THIS faulty poll, Gingrich should drop out now and support Perry for the good of the party, and stop wasting our time. And if his supporters don’t agree, they are really supporting ROn Paul or Mitt Romney.
Bump!
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Per SD
This is just how Rick Perry is. After Hurricane Ike devastated my community, he came here to survey the damage. He did not just walk through here surrounded by security and news cameras and then make a speech. That's not Perry. He showed up in jeans and a work shirt, no cameras, no press conference, and he walked among all of us who had been hit. A hug, a pat on the shoulder, a listening ear, and an encouraging word. He saw to it that emergency shelters were being set up and food and water were available to everyone. When Obama/FEMA refused to help us, Governor Perry set up state funding to help us rebuild our homes and our lives. My home is at 'ground zero' where Ike came ashore. We all took tremendous damage. FEMA sent me a check two months later for $600 dollars. Governor Perry set up the Recovery Fund to help us all rebuild. That is what a true leader and a true Christian does. That's my Governor! I can't wait to see America under the caring wing of Rick Perry.
Show us these polls you are quoting. Here is the latest from RCP; You numbers are not even clost to what these recent and legitimate polls show.
If Paul were to win, conservatives need to abandon the GOP.
“I hate the fact that I even have to consider this, but if my choices are Romney and Paul, I will vote for Romney.”
If it’s been Obama and Paul, I’d vote for OBAMA!!!! :-O!!!
It’s truly disgusting. Drudge spends days saying “Paul surging!” (because of ONE poll out of... what a dozen???) and now says “NEWT’S LEAD COLLAPSING” — like he (and his pathetic group of media whores) played NO PART IN IT.
!@(#*!@.
What on earth is so damned wonderful about Mitt Romney that the entire Republican elite CRAVE him as their candidate? -— Beause when push comes to shove, we-the-people mean NOTHING to them. They control us like fly-paper controls flies, and they WILL have their way and get THEIR candidate, and that’s that.
Very frustrating. Excuse the rant.
I am not a Perry supporter by any means. But you don’t need a weatherman to see which way the wind blows.
Where does your cat stand on social issues and what's it's plan for the economy? What's it position on the EPA?
If Iowa falls to Perry there could be a serious momentum swing. While Perry wont win NH he could spend 3 weeks campaigning in SC while Huntsman, Gingrich and Paul make life hell for Romney in NH.
South Carolina is not a firewall for Perry and neither is Florida. Perry has money and groundwork to take this as far as he wants.
Newt, Bachmann and Santorum need money to continue after SC. Perry is saying I am staying in until there is only me and Romney and you can all choose between us.
Newt is not now nor was he ever going to go anywhere. He simply doesn't have enough solid support, not even from the voter. He's just the "not Romney" flavor of the week. He has less money than Ron Paul and wont get any from anyone. It's not like Cain where average voters were sending him cash. The big party guys are funding Romney.
The Republican establishment can't count on employment in a Gingrich administration, and they know it. My personal opinion is that Romney is the easier opponent for Obama, because Romney can't hammer Obamacare, the number one wedge issue for independants.
The establishment is hyping Paul because he has zero shot of winning, and to further divide the "not Romney" vote. This is a classic circular firing squad, because Gingrich will still win Iowa, as was originally predicted, but now they have downplayed expectations to the point where he gets to declare himself the new "comeback kid" when he does.
If any of the other second stringers win, that would be even better. The more inexperienced they are the better. This puts the MSM back if full charge of the American Public. This also guarantees an Obama win. And they know it.
This latest anti-Newt hysteria stinks of something very fishy. They are all on it like they did on Cain, Perry, etc. They are flexing their public opinion changing muscles again, just to keep themselves in tune.
If we don't do something soon, about this Lying, manipulating Media, we will lose far more than future elections.
Fox is afraid to say Perry’s name.
“Fair and Balanced?”
NO
I fear for the country. Newt would be the best one to fix it for sure, but you are right about the fact that Newt does not have the funds or the organization to fight these recent attacks in Iowa.
RUN Paul is airing these nasty one minute ads daily and the politics of personal destruction has done some serious damage. Why these ads are aimed at Newt and not Romney, is beyond me. Time will tell, that’s all we can look forward to at the moment.
I did hear that Newt raised the funds to launch counter ads to the RP hate ads. Let’s hope they turn it around and destroy Paul just to get some justice, if nothing else.
Any poll where Ron Paul leads Iowa has been gamed. The man didn’t even get 10% in Iowa last time around.
Why don't you read it again for yourself. If we rally behind the best conservative, we can end this thing pretty easily. To me and a BUNCH of other people, that's Rick Perry. What's killing us is the split vote. Some for Newt, some for Michelle, some for Perry. We still have a chance to muscle Romney to the sidelines. But it will only happen if the conservative voters unite around one candidate.
It's not winner take all until April 2012. The queers-— Paul, Pitt, and Perry will be long gone like farts in the wind.
[....and none of these homo looking rinos can beat the marxist homo in the White Hut]
There are three polls mentioned; which one do you assert has been discredited, by whom and how? Or all of them?
“If we don’t do something soon, about this Lying, manipulating Media, we will lose far more than future elections. “
What’s really disspiriting is that it’s WE REPUBLICANS that they’re manipulating. The brain-dead, public-schooled morons on the left I can see being swayed by anything they’re told over and over again... but it seems to be working on a lot of OUR PEOPLE.
Do we really have to annhilate every possible candidate we have before they get a chance to go up against Obama?
I think you meant "boar". Nonetheless, I will be voting for him in the primary.
Speaking of that, what happened to all the money Cain got from deluded donors? What, if anything, is he obligated to do with the surplus in his campaign chest when he checked out?
Just curious.
Anita Perry was in NH speaking at a VFW today and an Airforce Vet stopped her and told her "Tell Perry not to quit, hang in there for those in middle America"
Anita assured him they were not quitting.
But that's water under the bridge.
On a side note, I bet if Santorum and Bachmann both dropped out, Bachmann would endorse Romney and Santorum would endorse Perry. That's my gut.
The endorsement I want is Haley Barbour. I saw Bobby J was campaigning in Iowa for Perry. Barbour in SC would be sweet.
They don't give internals of who voted for whom.
In the IA poll they do let you know who voted for whom and Perry is actually 2nd amongst Republican voters to Romney.
“Fair and Balanced?”
NO
What is it about FNC ? They seem to be going out of their way to not mention Perry.
Just curious.
Some one said that because he just "suspended " his campaign he can use the money to pay off debts from his campaign. (keep the money)
It would be interesting to know for sure.
Perry at 16% and Romney at 18%? I thought Perry was supposed to be a has-been’s has-been, sitting in the toilet with polling numbers under 10%.
Pray you don’t have to make that choice.
If Ron Paul does win Iowa, the Dums will be running ads with his racist newsletters in bold type. And ALL REPUBS will be smeared by it.
I think it’s time to end the Iowa Caucuses.
“If Paul were to win, conservatives need to abandon the GOP.”
The gop abandoned conservatives long ago.
Are you kidding? That's the LAST thing they will do. David Axelrod has wet dreams about the idea of running his guy against Paul.
The good news is that 8% of all voters think Ron Paul is a genuis, 80% think he's a moron, and the rest aren't capable of thinking for themselves. Gingrich or Romney will win Iowa. I still think it will be Gingrich. Romney will win NH. Gingrich still looks like the guy in Florida. Ron Paul will plug away with his 8-20%, state by state, and be a pain in the ass until the Convention.
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