Cain tops new poll, but see runner-up!

Editor's note: This is another in a series of "WND/WENZEL POLLS" conducted exclusively for WND by the public-opinion research and media consulting company Wenzel Strategies.

Herman Cain

The newest poll of Republicans and independents who lean to the GOP side of the fence shows that businessman Herman Cain continues to control the top spot, but it also uncovers trends that the party should be watching as the process of attrition begins to impact the field of candidates.

The WND/Wenzel Poll by Wenzel Strategies was conducted by telephone Oct. 22-25 and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

The survey indicates Cain is favored to be the party's presidential candidate by 27.1 percent, while former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is second at 17.9 percent. Third is Texas Congressman Ron Paul with 11.8 percent.

Learn what would make the country work, in "A Simple Government: Twelve Things We Really Need from Washington (and a Trillion That We Don't!)"

But actually in second place is the undecided column, comprising more than one in five of the respondents, meaning there could be significant changes in the field before the 2012 nominee is chosen.

"Cain leads but is slowly coming back to the field after a meteoric rise following a straw poll victory in Florida," said Fritz Wenzel, of Wenzel Strategies, in his analysis of the GOP side of the campaign.

"Cain is now in a position familiar to other candidates, including Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who saw a spike in support but who were unable to sustain that support. Cain has just recently come under close scrutiny and has made some public misstatements and mistakes. Meanwhile, both Romney and Paul, both experienced presidential candidates, have maintained solid bases of support," he said.

Wenzel said that two of three Republican voters say they are satisfied with the field, while some 30 percent are dissatisfied. A total of 44 percent said they would like to see a new candidate enter the competition, reflecting a continued uncertainty.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin

"What is going on here is that the two now well-known camps inside the Republican Party are slightly shifting away from the Romney camp and toward the Anybody-But-Romney camp. The problem for every other candidate right now is that they are sharing the anti-Romney support, and it appears they will continue to do so until the actual voting begins and their money runs out," Wenzel said.

"This is going to be a real battle of attrition, as Romney will try to lock up the nomination while there are still many opponents in the race. If he is unable to do so, his campaign will begin losing air like a leaky bicycle tire. Eventually he will go flat, and someone else will win the race," Wenzel said.

"The two most obvious candidates to take over right now are Ron Paul and Herman Cain. But here is something to watch – Cain has risen just as quickly as Bachmann and Perry before him, and he is now showing signs that he may follow their pattern of fading just as quickly as they rose. I say that because Cain's support is very soft, while Ron Paul's support is solid," he said.

While Republican voters may be getting comfortable with their candidates, the survey shows there remains a pining for Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey. More than one in five Republican voters – 21 percent – said they would like to see him get in the race. Another 12 percent said they would prefer to see businessman Donald Trump get in, while 11 percent said they want Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to run for president. Nine percent said they would like to see Sarah Palin get into the race, and 7 percent said they wanted Bill O'Reilly.

Others mentioned by Republican respondents include Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh.

Other candidates already in the competition earned lower levels of support, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 9.5 percent, Bachmann at 4.7 percent, Perry at 3.9 percent and Sen. Rick Santorum at 2.1 percent. Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer was at 0.3 percent support.

Read the results of the poll questions (addressed to those who identify at GOP or GOP-leaning only):

If the election or caucus in your state were today, for whom would you vote to be the Republican Party nominee?

Overall, how satisfied are you with the field of Republican candidates?

Would you prefer that someone else enter the race for the Republican Party nomination?

Which of the following wold you most prefer enter the race for president?