Perry Slips in the Polls

Perry's struggles continue, as Kyle Adams writes at RealClearPolitics:

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has fallen into a tie for second place with former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the race for the GOP presidential nomination, according to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll.

Romney leads the Republican field with 25 percent support while Cain and Perry both have 17 percent. Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich tie with 9 percent support. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann has 7 percent, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has 2 percent, and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman rounds out the field with 1 percent.

This is the second straight national poll in which Romney has moved back into the lead after Perry surged into the top spot in a series of polls released after his entrance into the race in August. A Fox News poll released last week showed Perry slipping to second place behind Romney, only two points ahead of a surging Cain, who is coming off a win in Florida's Presidency 5 straw poll two weekends ago. Perry's drop has come in the wake of struggles in several recent debates, where he has been targeted by his rivals.

While Romney benefits from Perry's fall, he has not seen his numbers move since the last ABC News/Washington Post poll released early last month. He had 25 percent in that poll when potential candidate Sarah Palin was not included. Perry, on the other hand, has seen his support fall by 13 points, while Cain has seen his rise 12 points.

When New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is on the verge of making a decision about a presidential run, and Palin, who also has not announced her 2012 intentions, are included, they come in with 10 percent and 8 percent, respectively. Romney drops to 20 percent, and Cain and Perry fall to 15 percent each