Palin, Huckabee Lead GOP Contenders for 2012

Susan Davis reports on politics. President-elect Barack Obama has another six weeks to go before he is sworn in, but there’s already chatter about who his potential Republican opponent will be in 2012. To no surprise, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin —who helped John McCain energize the GOP base as his vice presidential pick—is the frontrunner among Republican voters according to a CNN/Opinion Research poll released today. Two-thirds of respondents–67%–said they were either “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to vote for Palin in 2012. Not far behind her at 65% is former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee , followed by 61% who said the same of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney . Both men vied against McCain for the party’s 2008 nomination. Also on the list of potential candidates were former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (57%), former Speaker Newt Gingrich (52%), Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (44%), and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (32%). (link)