I thought that was interesting too. What's also interesting is the "cross-tab" results for age. Mitt Romney does best with the 18-29 demo. That struck me as particularly odd - Mitt Romney appeals to the youth?, maybe it's a "hair" thing.
Also, Gingrich does poorly with the kids, but he does very well with the over 65 crowd. This could be important looking at the primaries, because these are the people who vote no matter what. I'm sure this dynamic will change exponentially once the debates start. That might also be the time where some of those who aren't polled, like Pawlenty, either sink or swim.
I think the main thing to take away from this poll is that there is no front runner - there’s only a six point spread between the candidates in this poll, excepting Ron Paul.
As you pointed out, the most striking leads are Mitt Romney’s 26% among 18-29, and Gingrich’s 27% among the over-65-ers. Neither of those numbers cracks the 30% barrier, though. It seems clear that if the field consists of these five candidates, it will be starting out as anyone’s ballgame except for Ron Paul’s.
Of course, I don’t think the field will consist of these five candidates. Besides Pawlenty, who you mentioned, I can think of at least a couple others seriously considering runs, like Haley Barbour and Mitch Daniels. After all the good press he’s getting, I’d be shocked if Bobby Jindal isn’t giving the Presidency some serious consideration. Throw in other names like Thune, Santorum, Pence, and DeMint, and there’s the potential for another crowded field.
Also, I’m not at all convinced that Palin, Romney, Huckabee, Gingrich, and Paul are all running. I’m most certain Romney is running. I used to think Palin was on the fence at best, but she seems to be retooling her PAC for a run. I’m not sure about Huckabee - he certainly seems to see Palin as his biggest obstacle, so if he runs, it could get nasty between those two. I would actually be very surprised if Gingrich runs, and who the hell knows what Ron Paul is ever thinking.
Bottom line is there is no frontrunner, and I actually think the debates are going to be even more important this time than last time. Here’s hoping the candidates take some control this time and don’t let MSNBC and CNN make them look like idiots again.
You know thats got to be phony. Find someone 18 to 29 who has even heard of him.