Repug POLL: Huckleberry and The Ghoul now tied

[jefferson_dem]

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Mike Huckabee has surged into a virtual tie with front-runner Rudy Giuliani in the national 2008 Republican presidential race two weeks before the first contest, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday.

Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas whose campaign has caught fire in recent weeks, wiped out an 18-point deficit in one month to pull within one point of Giuliani, 23 percent to 22 percent.

<SNIP>

"Huckabee is on a roll, he has gotten an enormous amount of publicity and he is doing very well with conservatives, who at least for now appear to have found a candidate," pollster John Zogby said.

Giuliani, the former New York mayor who has led most national polls since early in the year, saw his support drop from 29 percent to 23 percent in the survey. His one-point lead over Huckabee was well within the poll's 4.8 percentage point margin of error.

Huckabee moved ahead of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who was in third place at 16 percent, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson at 13 percent, Arizona Sen. John McCain at 12 percent and Texas Rep. Ron Paul at 4 percent.

The groundswell for Huckabee, a Baptist minister with close ties to religious conservatives, has been fueled in part by his growing support among that key party constituency.

Among likely Republican voters who say they are "very conservative," Huckabee drew the support of 43 percent, with Thompson second at 20 percent and Romney third at 16 percent.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN1952159120071219?sp=true

[skipos]

1. The pro-rapist, pro-criminal, pro-fiscal irresponsibility, Jesus-rode-a-dinosaur voters

have found their candidate.

[Hippo_Tron]

2. I'm still convinced they will take him down before he gets the nomination

But they're certainly running out of time. I may be changing my predictions pretty soon.

[vi5]

4. They'll take him down, but at what cost?

If they do, how many of the evangelical types who are throwing their support behind Huckabee now will sit it out if the guy who most closely resembles their beliefs is taken down? Especially if it's for Gulliani.

Although in the end I'm still guess that all of these peoples support for torture and war and hatred of all things democratic and liberal will win out in the end and nobody will sit out no matter who the republican nominee is.

[Hippo_Tron]

5. It won't be the Ghoul, I'm betting on Romney but with very little confidence because of his religion

The Ghoul is headed for four straight weeks of coming in no higher than 3rd place and he can't take that and still expect to perform well on Super Tuesday. Even though he leads the GOP candidates in money, he doesn't have the kind of cash that you need for an ad blitz in places like California and New York. He needs good press just as much as any of them do and he's not going to get it.

[speedoo]

3. Rudy's implosion continues....

it took longer than I thought it would, but he is definitely finished.

Huckabee might actually be the nominee.