I have a new story up on developments in South Carolina today, including that Palmetto Poll, which shows that the number of undecideds is actually growing – from 20 percent in August to 28 percent today — as the campaign goes on. The title, “No One’s Winning, No One’s Losing, and No One’s Made Up His Mind,” is a bit of an exaggeration, but not much:

Even when a voter expresses a support for a candidate, it’s likely that support is tentative. When the pollsters asked whether voters were sure about their decision to vote for a particular candidate or whether they might change their mind before the primary, 65 percent said they might change. Just 33 percent said they were sure.
Added to that volatility is the fact that the candidates are all tightly bunched together; no one is way out in front or way behind. In the new poll, the leader, Mitt Romney, has the support of just 17 percent of those surveyed, while the fifth-place candidate, Rudy Giuliani, has nine percent. All five top candidates are crowded into the narrow eight-point range that separates first place and fifth place.