Poll: Gingrich tops Romney by 10 points to lead GOP race

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A new poll out Monday afternoon found that, seemingly out of nowhere, longtime third-tier candidate Newt Gingrich has emerged as the frontrunner for the Republican party’s nomination to the presidency.

Democrat affiliated survey group Public Policy Polling (PPP) found that not only is the former House speaker and Georgia congressman leading the race, he’s also beating odd-on favorite Mitt Romney by double digits.

Both former Mass. Gov. Romney and former businessman Herman Cain have seen their numbers plummet in recent polls, with Romney losing 4 percent and Cain losing 5; meanwhile, Gingrich has catapulted up 13, PPP found.

The top tier now sits at Gingrich with 28 percent, Cain with 25 percent and Romney at 18 percent. PPP said the gains made by Gingrich represent an 18 percent increase over just two months.

“It’s better than when I was at 4 [percent],” Gingrich told a crowd at a campaign event on Monday afternoon. “This is a very wild race.”

A similar rising tide for Gingrich was reflected in a CNN poll published Monday afternoon, although it gave Romney a slight edge.

CNN found Romney clinging to the lead at 24 percent, with Gingrich keeping within the margin of error at 22 percent. Those figures represent a 14 point gain for Gingrich since October.

Just 14 percent of Republican voters backed Cain in CNN’s poll, a drop of 11 percent in just one month’s time.

Photo: Flickr user markn3tel.