(CNN) - Businessman and conservative radio talk show host Herman Cain came out on top in a CBS/New York Times poll measuring support among likely Republican primary voters that was released Tuesday.
In the first poll since CNN's Western Republican debate, Cain is ahead of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney by four percentage points, within the sampling error for the survey.
One quarter of GOP primary voters support Cain, who has surged in national polls recently due in part, perhaps, to his easy-to-understand "9-9-9" economic plan and consistent debate performances. Romney received 21% support.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich netted 10% followed by Texas Rep. Ron Paul at eight percent.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry has fallen to fifth place after early stumbles in candidate debates. He's also been hemmed in with stinging critiques from rivals on his positions regarding immigration and his support for a mandatory HPV vaccine.
Perry received 6% support in the poll, half the amount he received in early October.
Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann has also fallen out of favor it seems, after winning the critical Iowa straw poll in August. With two percent support, the congresswoman has struggled to stay relevant as public bickering between former and current staffers exploded in New Hampshire.
Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman tied at one percent.
But with 14% of likely Republican primary-goers undecided and roughly four out of five saying it is too early to say for sure who they back for the nomination, a chunk of potential supporters is still in play.
The poll was conducted among 1,650 adults by telephone including 455 voters who said they plan to vote in a Republican primary. The overall sampling error for the survey is plus or minus two percentage points. The sampling error for the subgroup of likely Republican primary voters is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
