only in an upside down world is Mitt Romney consistently called a front runner when he has never actually been the leading candidate for more than a day or two at a time as other candidates move past him. A guy who has been running for 6 years is sitting at 18% in third place here, and this despite doing relatively well in all the debates and not making any massive missteps...at least none that got traction.
He is the frontrunner because he is the choice of the establishment, and that is worth far more than any straw polls or early caucus and primary samplings. Our little Republican primary voters are known to follow their “leaders” over the cliff, especially if previously rejected, a la Romney.