Gallup: Romney Weakening

By Byron York, Washington Examiner

A new Gallup poll finds Mitt Romney still at the top of the Republican presidential field, but with opponents closing in.  And in a sign of the still-unsettled nature of the GOP race, Romney's three closest pursuers aren't in the race.

When Gallup included the names of potential candidates in surveying Republican and Republican-leaning voters, the results show Romney leading, with 17 percent of those polled; Texas Gov. Rick Perry in second, with 15 percent; Sarah Palin, with 12 percent, Rudy Giuliani, with 11 percent; Michele Bachmann, 11 percent; Ron Paul, eight percent; Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich, with three percent each; and Tim Pawlenty, Jon Huntsman, and Rick Santorum, with two percent each.  At the moment at least, Perry, Palin, and Giuliani are not in the race.