President 2012 GOP Poll Watch: Gingrich Continues to Lead But With A Smaller Margin

Newt Gingrich continues to lead the field of candidates for the Republican nomination, though his lead over Mitt Romney has shrunk slightly from last week. Currently, 31% of Republican registered voters nationwide say they are most likely to support Gingrich for the nomination, compared with 22% choosing Romney, with all other candidates in single digits.

These results are based on interviews with 1,167 Republicans and Republican-leaning registered voters in Dec. 8-12 Gallup Daily tracking.

Since Gallup began Daily tracking of national Republican nomination preferences last week, Gingrich has averaged a 12-point advantage over Romney, with a high of 15 points in Gallup’s initial report based on Dec. 1-5 interviewing. The current 9-point tracking lead for Gingrich is the smallest yet for the former speaker of the House.

So, is Gingrich going to fade under the relentless attacks of Romney and Ron Paul?

I think tomorrow night’s debate in Iowa may be a pivotal moment in this race.

Romney will need to increase his attacks on Newt or Gingrich will have to “step in it” for the Iowa numbers and hence the national ones to move. There are only a little less than three weeks to go before the Iowa Caucuses.