Poll: Perry Leads GOP Field

Texas Governor Rick Perry may now be the Republican party’s 2012 frontrunner.

According to a new poll from Rasmussen Reports, Perry holds leads former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney 29 percent to 18 percent among likely Republican primary voters. Michele Bachmann, the recent winner of the Iowa straw poll, comes in with 13 percent support.

No other candidate registers double digit support.

“Governor Perry is enjoying a bounce from entering the race at precisely the right time,” Scott Rasmussen, the President of the polling agency, said in a statement. “Now the difficult part begins for the new frontrunner.  It’s much easier winning support when people are hoping you will get in the race, than retaining support when you are the frontrunner.”

Although Perry appears to have had a favorable entry into the race, it has been marked by a barrage of controversial statements. While stumping this week, Perry suggested that some members of the armed services don’t respect President Barack Obama and that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke would commit treason if he printed more money in the lead up to the election.

“I don’t know what y’all would do to him in Iowa, but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas,” Perry said in a video posted by ThinkProgress.com.

Rasmussen Reports polled 1,000 likely GOP primary voters on Monday.