NEW POLL: GIULIANI DOWN, ROMNEY & HUCKABEE UP

The latest poll from NBC and the Wall Street Journal illustrates again that all players are still in contention for the republican nomination. The poll also shows a dip in former frontrunner Rudy Giuliani’s numbers, as well as stronger positions for Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee.

Giuliani, who has been the clear frontrunner in virtually every national poll this year now ties at 20% of those polled with Mitt Romney. Gaining momentum in weeks of late, Mike Huckabee chimes in on the new poll with 17%. John McCain is still on the map with 14%. Fred Thompson claimed 11%.

In the same poll last month the former New York City mayor led the pack at 33% of those polled, followed by McCain at 16%, Thompson at 15%, Romney at 11%, and Huckabee at only 8%.

According to MSNBC, GOP pollster Bill McInturff stated, “I think there’s, at this point, no national (Republican) frontrunner… We have literally four or five candidates, all of whom has a chance to be the nominee.” Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart added, “Can anybody win? Yeah.”

As the frontrunner, Giuliani has had to deal with the constant attention of the media and had his every move analyzed and considered, a luxury the other candidates so far have managed to avoid. With Romney’s numbers increasing after his speech on faith and the adrenaline shot that Huckabee’s campaign has received in Iowa the past few weeks, no doubt these two candidates will soon be under the microscope as well. Still, it seems that regardless who takes the nomination the winner is clear- the Republican Party. Anyone of the GOP candidates will thrash the political lightweight or the political schemer that that Democrats select in the general election.