Jennifer Jacobs: Romney and Santorum rise, Gingrich falls in new CNN poll in Iowa

http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/12/28/romney-and-santorum-rise-gingrich-falls-in-new-cnn-poll-in-iowa/

Jennifer Jacobs, The Des Moines Register

A new poll of likely GOP caucusgoers in Iowa shows Mitt Romney in the lead, with Ron Paul three points behind and Rick Santorum in third place.

Romney is at 25 percent in the CNN/TIME/ORC Iowa poll, followed by Paul 22 percent, Santorum 16 percent, Newt Gingrich 14 percent, Rick Perry 11 percent, Michele Bachmann 9 percent, and Jon Huntsman 1 percent.

The survey was conducted by telephone with 452 likely Republican caucus participants in Iowa by ORC International on Dec. 21-24.

Sampling error for Iowa is +/-4.5 percentage points.

Asked if they might change their mind, 43 percent of respondents said yes.

Another poll is coming soon: The Des Moines Register’s final Iowa Poll before the Jan. 3 caucuses will be published online at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Gingrich was in the lead with 25 percent in the Register’s last Iowa Poll, conducted Nov. 27-30.

Paul was at 18 percent, Romney 16 percent, Herman Cain and Bachmann 8 percent, Perry and Santorum 6 percent and Huntsman 2 percent.