Early Look At 2012 Republican Presidential Primary Shows Tight Four-Way Race

Fmr. Governors Mitt Romney (R-MA), Mike Huckabee (R-AR), and Sarah Palin (R-AK), and Fmr. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA)
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Four Republicans have emerged as the clear early (err, very early) frontrunners in the 2012 Republican presidential primary, according to a recently concluded series of Public Policy Polling (D) surveys. The favorite of the bunch? Not so clear.

The last survey, from a series of three, considered how the Republican primaries might play out in Alaska, Kentucky, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, and Washington. Sarah Palin had favorable results in two of the states– though neither were her home state. In both Washington and Ohio, she holds a narrow lead over the three other top Republican contenders, while in Alaska, she finds herself sitting in fourth.

Mike Huckabee is narrowly ahead in Alaska, while also leading by seven in Kentucky. Mitt Romney earns a 13-point lead in Nevada, and for the first time in this survey’s series, Newt Gingrich holds a lead, up four in North Carolina.

Potential candidates Mitch Daniels, Tim Pawlenty, Mike Pence and John Thune all fail to earn a single double-digit yield in the last six states surveyed.

A look at the latest results, along with the rest of the series’ findings, broken down by state:

Alaska:

  • Huckabee: 17%
  • Gingrich: 16%
  • Romney: 16%
  • Palin: 15%
  • Pawlenty: 5%
  • Pence: 2%
  • Daniels: 2%
  • Thune: 2%
Kentucky:

  • Huckabee: 26%
  • Palin: 19%
  • Gingrich: 17%
  • Romney: 13%
  • Daniels: 4%
  • Pence: 2%
  • Pawlenty: 1%
  • Thune: 0%
North Carolina:

  • Gingrich: 23%
  • Huckabee: 19%
  • Palin: 19%
  • Romney: 14%
  • Pawlenty: 4%
  • Pence: 2%
  • Daniels: 2%
  • Thune: 0%
Ohio:

  • Palin: 20%
  • Gingrich: 19%
  • Huckabee: 17%
  • Romney: 14%
  • Pawlenty: 6%
  • Daniels: 3%
  • Pence: 2%
  • Thune: 1%
Nevada:

  • Romney: 34%
  • Gingrich: 21%
  • Palin: 16%
  • Huckabee: 11%
  • Pawlenty: 2%
  • Pence: 1%
  • Daniels: 1%
  • Thune: 0%
Washington:

  • Palin: 19%
  • Romney: 18%
  • Huckabee: 17%
  • Gingrich: 15%
  • Pawlenty: 4%
  • Pence: 2%
  • Daniels: 1%
  • Thune: 0%
California:

  • Romney: 25%
  • Palin: 18%
  • Gingrich: 15%
  • Huckabee: 15%
  • Pence: 3%
  • Pawlenty: 2%
  • Daniels: 1%
  • Thune: 1%
Colorado:

  • Romney: 22%
  • Palin: 17%
  • Gingrich: 17%
  • Huckabee: 14%
  • Pawlenty: 6%
  • Pence: 3%
  • Thune: 2%
  • Daniels: 1%
Connecticut:

  • Romney: 28%
  • Huckabee: 15%
  • Gingrich: 14%
  • Palin: 11%
  • Pawlenty: 5%
  • Pence: 5%
  • Daniels: 4%
  • Thune: 2%
Florida:

  • Romney: 28%
  • Palin: 22%
  • Gingrich: 15%
  • Huckabee: 15%
  • Pawlenty: 4%
  • Pence: 2%
  • Daniels: 1%
  • Thune: 1%
Illinois:

  • Huckabee 18%
  • Gingrich 17%
  • Palin 14%
  • Romney 12%
  • Pawlenty 7%
  • Daniels 6%
  • Thune 2%
Maine:

  • Palin 23%
  • Romney 18%
  • Huckabee 16%
  • Gingrich 14%
  • Pawlenty 3%
  • Pence 2%
  • Daniels 1%
  • Thune 0%
Minnesota:

  • Pawlenty 19%
  • Palin 18%
  • Huckabee 14%
  • Gingrich 11%
  • Romney 11%
  • Daniels 3%
  • Pence 3%
  • Thune 2%
New Hampshire:

  • Romney 40%
  • Huckabee 13%,
  • Gingrich 10%
  • Palin 10%
  • Pawlenty 4%
  • Pence 3%
  • Daniels 1%
  • Thune 1%
Pennsylvania:

  • Huckabee 23%
  • Palin 16%
  • Romney 16%
  • Gingrich 15%
  • Daniels 2%
  • Pawlenty 2%
  • Pence 2%
  • Thune 1%
Texas:

  • Palin 22%
  • Huckabee 20%
  • Gingrich 15%
  • Romney 15%
  • Pawlenty 3%
  • Pence 3%
  • Daniels 2%
  • Thune 1%
West Virginia:

  • Palin 25%
  • Huckabee 22%
  • Gingrich 15%
  • Romney 15%
  • Pawlenty 2%
  • Pence 2%
  • Daniels 1%
  • Thune 1%
Wisconsin:

  • Palin 18%
  • Hucakbee 15%
  • Gingrich 14%
  • Romney 12%
  • Pawlenty 8%
  • Daniels 2%
  • Pence 2%
  • Thune 1%
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