Poll: Romney's Rivals Fading

The GOP’s two alternatives to frontrunner Mitt Romney have taken a hit in the polls, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey.

Respondents who described Texas Governor Rick Perry in at least somewhat positive terms dropped from 38 percent in a poll conducted between November 2nd and 5th to 28 percent in the new poll. His overall support in the field has also decreased by half, falling from 8 to 4 percent.

While those who view Cain in a positive light has increased from 51 percent to 56 percent, his standing against Mitt Romney has dwindled. Initially, Cain and Romney were in a statistical tie at 27 to 28 percent. Now, the former Massachusetts Governor leads the ex-businessman 32 to 27 percent.

Both Perry and Cain have suffered from a tough week. Perry garnered headlines and Youtube notoriety for forgetting mid-debate the three government agencies he would cut if elected and the Cain camp continues to grapple with sexual harassment allegations.

The poll was conducted between November 10th and 12th among 102 likely Republican primary voters.

Poll: Cain Maintains Lead, Gingrich Moves Up

A new CBS News poll released today shows former business executive Herman Cain hanging on to a tight lead over the rest of the GOP field.

Cain (18 percent), finished three points ahead of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in the poll, which was conducted with nearly 1,200 voters. Most DC observers expect Romney to eventually capture the nomination, but Cain has surged in recent weeks, and continues to poll well despite facing a string of sexual harassment allegations that date back to his time as the head of the National Restaurant Association in the mid-to-late 1990’s.

61 percent of those surveyed say the accusations against Cain won’t impact their vote, but 30 percent said the opposite. Among women and Tea Party supporters, Cain has lost ground over the last month, the poll shows.

17 percent said they are undecided at this point.

Cain’s stumble seems to have benefitted Gingrich the most. The former House Speaker from Georgia finished third in the poll at 15 percent. Among male voters, Gingrich has climbed eight percent since October.

“It’s great to be back in contention,” Gingrich said Friday on CBS’ “The Early Show,” “and I’m very grateful to the voters who are supporting me…the big thing I take from your poll is that this is a wide-open race. Any of the candidates could make a surge and suddenly be in dramatically better shape.”

Meanwhile, Texas Governor Rick Perry, who committed a major gaffe in Wednesday night’s debate when he couldn’t name the one of the three federal agencies he’d propose eliminating as president, finished behind Gingrich at eight percent. Perry will get a chance to redeem himself tomorrow night when the candidates debate again in South Carolina.

Perry Grabs Headlines With "Oops" Moment

Texas Governor Rick Perry ruined an otherwise decent performance at last night’s Republican debate when he failed to recall the third federal agency he’d abolish as president.

“[T]he fact of the matter is we better have a plan in place that Americans can get their hands around,” he started out. “And that’s a reason my flat tax is the only one of all of the folks — these good folks on the stage, it balance the budget in 2020. It does the things to the regulatory climate that has to happen. And I will tell ya, it’s three agencies of government when I get there that are gone. Commerce, Education, and the, uh, uh, what’s the third one there? Let’s see.”

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) tried throwing Perry a lifeline. “EPA?” he asked.

“EPA, there you go,” Perry quickly belted out as he nervously and sheepishly smiled. However, debate moderator John Harwood of CNBC wasn’t going to let Perry off the hook that easily. “Seriously, is the EPA the one you were talking about?” Harwood asked.

The rest of the exchange went like this:

PERRY: “Nosir, nosir. We were talking about the agencies of government — the EPA needs to be rebuilt. There’s no doubt about that.”

HARWOOD: But you can’t — but you can’t name the third one?

PERRY: “The third agency of government I would — I would do away with, the Education, uh, the uh…

SOMEONE SHOUTS: “Commerce.”

PERRY: “Commerce and, let’s see. I can’t. The third one, I can’t. Sorry. Oops.”

Simply stunning.

The gaffe caused shock among pundits who were watching in real-time.

“To my memory, Perry’s forgetfulness is the most devastating moment of any modern primary debate,” said University of Virginia Center for Politics Director Larry Sabato.

“That might be the most uncomfortable moment I’ve ever witnessed in presidential politics,” said National Review’s Rich Lowry.

“If Perry’s candidacy wasn’t already over, it’s hard to see how he recovers from this embarassing moment,” added The Washington Examiner’s Philip Klein.

Perry recovered a few minutes later, responding to the next question lobbed at him by explaining that he meant to say the Department of Energy. And later, Perry made an appearance in the spin room, telling reporters that he’s lucky to have been wearing his boots because he “sure stepped in it.”

Hard to see the mud coming off this time, though.

Cain Sidesteps Sexual Harassment Questions

By Tim Young

Amid growing doubts over the future of his campaign, GOP hopeful Herman Cain was able to skirt questioning about his alleged sexual misconduct in the CNBC Republican Primary Debate Wednesday night.

“The American people deserve better than someone being tried in the court of public opinion based on unfounded accusations,” Cain said to the favorable crowd.

Cain’s answers, which were met with thunderous applause and cheering from the crowd, did not directly address the allegations of either Kraushaar or Sharon Bialek, the first woman to publicly accuse Cain of wrongdoing.

“For every one person who comes forward with a false accusation…there are thousands who would say none of that sort of activity ever came from Herman Cain,” Cain said.

Cain cited surges in his campaign fundraising over the past week and a half as evidence that Republican voters are still confident in his candidacy.

 “Over the last nine days, the voters have voted with their dollars, and they’re saying they don’t care about the character assassination, they care about leadership and getting this economy growing and all of the other problems we face.”

Despite mounting harassment claims, Cain continues to poll as a top tier candidate. According to a Wall Street Journal/NBC survey released released Tuesday, Cain and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney both lead the GOP field in a statistical tie.

In Michigan, Candidates Bash Auto Bailout

None of the eight Republican presidential candidates for president said Wednesday night that the federal government’s bailout of the American auto industry was a good idea.

Though not surprising, given that the bailout was one of several things that helped spur the rise of the conservative Tea Party, it was remarkable in that last night’s debate was held less than an hour from Detroit, home to Chrysler and GM who both received billions in federal aid back in 2008 and 2009.

“Whether it was by President Bush or President Obama, it was the wrong way to go,” said frontrunner Mitt Romney. “They gave General Motors to the UAW, and they gave Chrysler to Fiat.”

Romney was reminded that he advocated helping the automakers back in 2008 when it was discovered that both were in danger of going out of business. He said, however, that he had been referring to getting rid of federal regulations on fuel standards that were “hurting Detroit.”

When pressed, Romney said that Chysler and GM should have been forced to go through a “private bankruptcy process.” Economists who supported the bailout, however, have noted that banks were not in a sufficient position to help the automakers at the time.

Former Utah Governor and American Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman agreed with Romney. Considered to be the most moderate candidate in the GOP field, Huntsman called the bailout “absolutely inappropriate,” arguing that it could end up costing taxpayers as much as $15 billion.

“This country is never again going to bail out corporations,” Huntsman said.

Near the end of his presidency, former President George W. Bush gave $25 billion to GM and Chrysler, a sum that President Obama increased by $60 billion when he took office. An administration task force then swiftly guided the two companies through bankruptcy.

Since 2009, the two companies have added over 130,000 jobs, and are hoping to add another 140,000 in the next few years.

During a visit to Michigan last month, Obama said the $85 billion investment “paid off.”