Public Policy Polling: A tie at the top for Palin and Romney

Palin 16%, Romney 16%, Pawlenty 13%, Cain 12%
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With Mitt Romney in New Hampshire to launch his presidential campaign and Sarah Palin's One Nation bus rolling into the Granite State to host a clambake for influential conservatives, the stage was perfectly set for Public Policy Polling to release the results of its latest national survey of GOP primary voters:

PPP's first national poll looking at the Republican Presidential race since Mike Huckabee and Donald Trump announced they wouldn't run finds Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin in a tie at the top with 16% each. Tim Pawlenty at 13% and Herman Cain at 12% are also in double digits with Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul each at 9%, and Jon Huntsman at 4% rounding out the field.

Romney's support is built on moderate and center right Republicans, while Palin's winning the most conservative faction of the party. With moderates Romney's at 26% with only Pawlenty at 15% also reaching double digits and Palin in third at 8%. With 'somewhat conservative' voters Romney likewise leads with 19% to 15% each for Pawlenty and Palin. But with voters identifying as 'very conservative' Romney finds himself well back in 5th place at 11% with Palin leading the way at 20%, followed by Cain at 15%, Bachmann at 13%, and Pawlenty at 12%.

The Democrat polling company's somewhat smallish sample is made up of 574 primary voters who usually cast their primary ballots for Republicans. The pollster, whose clients include radical leftist site Daily Kos and the SEIU, conducted automated telephone interviews from May 23rd to 25th.

h/t: Henry D'Andrea

- JP