Rick Perry leads by a double-digit margin in a CNN poll released today. And, despite the uproar over his Social Security comments, he’s also considered the candidate with the best chance of beating President Obama at 42 percent compared to the 26 percent who think Mitt Romney is the most electable candidate. (No other candidate has more than single-digit support in terms of electability.) Perry also gets high marks for his ability “to get the economy moving,” with 35 percent thinking he’s the most qualified to do so, giving him a 9 point boost over Romney in the same category.
Michele Bachmann also seems to have taken a steep dive in support, tying with Newt Gingrich for fourth place at 7 percent.
Full results, with Sarah Palin in the mix: Perry (30 percent), Romney (18 percent), Palin (15 percent), Ron Paul (12 percent), Herman Cain (5 percent), Newt Gingrich (5 percent), Michele Bachmann (4 percent), Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum (2 percent).
Results without Palin: Perry (32 percent), Romney (21 percent), Paul (13 percent), Bachmann and Gingrich (7 percent), Cain (6 percent), and Huntsman and Santorum (2 percent).