If this new poll can be trusted — it does come to us from FOX News after all — Mitt Romney is in first place in the Republican primary race thus far, while Rick Perry is in second. Herman Cain, who has apparently hurled himself out of obscurity, is now in third.
Here is the condensed list. Thanks to Chris Good with The Atlantic for paring it down to the top eight:
Mitt Romney 23%
Rick Perry 19%
Herman Cain 17%
Newt Gingrich 11%
Ron Paul 6%
Jon Huntsman 4%
Michele Bachmann 3%
Rick Santorum 3%
For all her media exposure, we can be quite thankful Michele Bachmann is only at 3 percent and even more thankful that Sarah Palin isn’t in the race at all, for if she was president, I would be the first emigrate. It is also rather surprising that Mitt Romney, who will overwhelmingly carry the Mormon vote of course, leads the most right-wing group of GOP hopefuls we have seen in recent memory.