New Poll Shows Palin Remains a Factor in GOP Race

From The Slatest: New Poll Shows Palin Remains a Factor in GOP Race
Mitt Romney leads the current GOP presidential field comfortably at the moment, nearly doubling the support of his closest challenger, Michele Bachmann, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

But Romney’s standing, as well as the rest of the field, could easily change with the entry of – you guessed it – Sarah Palin.

Without Palin, Romney polls at 30 percent to Bachmann’s 16. But should Palin jump into the race, she would garner 18 percent of the vote, bringing Romney down to 26 percent and Bachmann down to 12 percent.

The Alaska Republican also scores higher than all of her potential GOP rivals on the question of who best represents the core values of conservatives, and she leads the pack among voters without college degrees.

The new poll underlines Palin's continued viability as a possible presidential candidate despite her efforts to keep everyone guessing about whether or not she is actually going to enter the race. The poll, conducted this past weekend, also comes at a time when the Palin media blitz has relatively waned.

The survey, however, also highlights the vulnerabilities of Romney. In particular, the Republican front-runner continues to struggle for support among the energized members of the Tea Party.

Moreover, Romney could face trouble In Iowa, which holds the crucial first caucuses of the primary season. In a RealClearPolitics composite of the latest Iowa polls, Bachmann leads the field with 27 percent support, with Romney roughly 5 points back.