Polls: Gingrich Hits Top Tier Status

After a rocky start, it appears that Newt Gingrich has attained status as a top tier Republican candidate.

According to two new polls, the former House Speaker has had a recent surge in support. In a survey from Public Policy Polling [PPP] conducted among likely Republican voters, Gingrich leads the GOP field with 28 percent, coming in 3 points ahead of Herman Cain and 10 points ahead of Mitt Romney.

In a separate poll from CNN/ORC International, Gingrich runs neck and neck with Romney at 22 to 24 percent among Republicans and far ahead of Cain, whose support has dwindled to 14 percent.

Gingrich, who is widely acknowledged to have performed well in the debates, is the latest candidate to threaten to shake up the race. Texas Governor Rick Perry and former businessman Herman Cain have both represented alternatives to the former Massachusetts Governor, but have both seen their support dwindle. Cain continues to grapple with sexual harassment allegations and Perry suffered from a high-profile gaffe after forgetting mid-debate the name of a government agency he would cut if elected.

The CNN/ORC poll was conducted among 480 Republicans and Conservative leaning independents between November 11th and 13th. The Public Policy Polling surveyed 576 Republican primary voters between November 10th and 13th.