Des Moines Register Poll: Before the Caucus (updated w/CNN #'s

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Des Moines Register.....CNN/Opinion Research

* Mike Huckabee 32% (29%)...........28

* Mitt Romney 26% (24%)..............31

* John McCain 13% (7%).................10

* Ron Paul 9% (7%).......................8

* Fred Thompson 9% (9%).............13

* Rudy Giuliani 5% (13%)..............8

* Duncan Hunter 1% (1%)............not mesurable

* Not sure/Uncommitted 4% (4%)



On the Democratic side, Barack Obama was the choice of 32 percent of likely Democratic caucus goers, up from 28 percent in the Register’s last poll in late November, while Hillary Clinton held steady at 25 percent and John Edwards was virtually unchanged at 24 percent.


Survey of 800 likely Republican caucus participants was conducted December 27-30. The margin of error is +/- 3.5 percentage points. Results from the poll conducted November 25-28 are in parentheses.

|DES MOINES REGISTER| Poll Watch: Des Moines Register GOP Iowa Caucus

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By the end of the week, we will perhaps have a better understanding of how the field will be stacked, and hopefully, the Pauleroids will be punked by the Iowa Caucus goers.
On the Dem side, if the HildaBeast pulls out a win, it is over for the rest of the field.

**updated 11.59 am**
The CNN/Opinion Research Numbers are in, and I've added them in above in a second column.
The CNN numbers opposite trends for Huckles and Romney, and switch their postions at the top.
They show Fred with a nearly 50% increase recently, with the DMR showing him steady, and the polls reversed on McCain.
Ron Paul is at 9% in the DMR and 8% on CNN/ORP.

I'm thinking it is time for the networks to exclude anyone polling below 3rd place to keep the circus aspect down, or at the very least, anyone who is polling in single digits should be excluded.
I'm talking scientific polls, not internet polls where Pauleroids can skew the results.

I'll have more on the Dem side later today.