Poll Pegs Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin as Top 2012 GOP Picks

Mitt Romney is the GOP frontrunner for the 2012 presidential nod with Tea Party heroine Sarah Palin on his heels, according to a new Gallup poll. Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, garnered support from 19 percent of those surveyed, and Palin, an ex-governor of Alaska, got 16 percent. That puts the pair in a virtual tie, since the poll's margin of error is +/- 4 percent. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee rounds out the top three with 12 percent. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, with 9 percent and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, with 7 percent, were the only others who passed the 5 percent mark. [Read more about the 2012 presidential race.]

This is good news for Romney since, according to Gallup, the early front runner in the firm's presidential polls has won the Republican nomination every time since 1972, except for Rudy Giuliani in 2008. Though Romney hasn't officially announced his bid, his frequent visits to New Hampshire and recent political speeches, including one earlier this month at the Values Voter Summit, seem to signal an intention of running.

Palin recently told Fox News she "would give it a shot" if she decides it is the best decision for her family and the country. [See a slideshow of reasons Palin would make a good president.]

The poll, conducted last weekend, surveyed Republicans and Republican-leaning independents on which of the 12 potential candidates they would likely support for the GOP nomination. Gallup says 1 percent of those polled volunteered the name of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. And South Dakota Sen. John Thune, who said Wednesday he is thinking of throwing his hat in the ring, polled 2 percent.

Here's the full list:

Mitt Romney 19%

Sarah Palin 16%

Mike Huckabee 12%

Newt Gingrich 9%

Ron Paul 7%

Tim Pawlenty 3%

Haley Barbour 3%

Rick Santorum 2%

John Thune 2%

Mitch Daniels 2%

Mike Pence 1%

Chris Christie 1%

Gary Johnson 1%

Other 4%

Any/All 1%

None 7%

No Opinion 11%

• Check out our roundup of political cartoons on Sarah Palin.
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• See a slide show of 11 hot races to watch this fall.