Raleigh, N.C. – Two years before President Barack Obama’s GOP opponent will be decided, there is no evident pacesetter in the still-unsettled field, with a different victor in each of the three early primary and caucus states polled in the past week by PPP.

In Iowa, 2008 winner Mike Huckabee comes out ahead, with 27% to Sarah Palin’s 17%, Newt Gingrich’s 16%, Mitt Romney’s 15%, Ron Paul’s 7%, and John Thune’s and Jim DeMint’s 2%.  Huckabee wins among both moderates and conservatives.

In Michigan, favorite son Romney dominates with 37% to Palin’s 24%, Gingrich’s 16%, Huckabee’s 12%, and Paul’s 6%.  Unlike in most other states, Romney leads with conservatives, at 32% to Palin’s 29% and usual conservative favorite Gingrich’s 19%.  Romney gets 56% of moderates, with no one else remotely close.

In South Carolina, there is a four-way bunch, with Gingrich at 25% over Romney’s 24%, Palin’s 22%, and Huckabee’s 19%, and Paul way back at 7%.  Romney is tops among moderates with 33% to Palin’s 23%, and the others with 11 or 12%, while Gingrich is favored by conservatives at 29% to the other three major candidates at 21%. 

When DeMint is added to the field polled in his home state, he leads the pack at 21%, with Gingrich and Romney at 16%, Huckabee and Palin at 15%, and Paul still at 7%.  This is despite the finding from a previous release that 56% of all South Carolina voters and a 39% plurality of Republicans think DeMint should not run for president.

“The story in our 2012 Republican polling continues to be that there is no one approaching front runner status,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling.

PPP surveyed 477 likely Iowa Republican primary voters, with a margin of error of +/-4.5%, from May 25^th to 27^th; 377 likely Michigan Republican primary voters, with a margin of error of +/-5.1%, from May 25^th to 27^th; and 638 likely South Carolina Republican primary voters, with a margin of error of +/-3.9%, from May 22^nd to 23^rd.  Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify.

If you would like an interview regarding this release, please contact Dean Debnam at (888) 621-6988 or 919-880-4888.

Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.

Iowa Survey Results:

Q1 If the Republican candidates for President in
2012 were Jim DeMint, Newt Gingrich, Mike
Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, Mitt
Romney and John Thune, who would you vote
for?
Jim DeMint……………………………………………… 2%
Newt Gingrich …………………………………………. 16%
Mike Huckabee ……………………………………….. 27%
Sarah Palin …………………………………………….. 17%
Ron Paul ………………………………………………… 7%
Mitt Romney……………………………………………. 15%
John Thune…………………………………………….. 2%
Someone Else ………………………………………… 3%
Undecided………………………………………………. 11%

Q2 Would you describe yourself as a liberal,
moderate, or conservative?
Liberal ……………………………………………………. 5%
Moderate………………………………………………… 21%
Conservative…………………………………………… 74%

Q3 If you are a woman, press 1, if a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 48%
Man……………………………………………………….. 52%

Q4 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1 now. If
you are 30 to 45, press 2. If you are 46 to 65,
press 3. If older, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 9%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 20%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 47%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 24%

South Carolina Survey Results:

Q1 If the Republican candidates for President in
2012 were Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee,
Sarah Palin, Ron Paul and Mitt Romney who
would you support?
Newt Gingrich …………………………………………. 25%
Mike Huckabee ……………………………………….. 19%
Sarah Palin …………………………………………….. 22%
Ron Paul ………………………………………………… 7%
Mitt Romney……………………………………………. 24%
Undecided………………………………………………. 4%

Q2 If the Republican candidates for President in
2012 were Jim DeMint, Newt Gingrich, Mike
Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Ron Paul and Mitt
Romney who would you support?
Jim DeMint……………………………………………… 21%
Newt Gingrich …………………………………………. 16%
Mike Huckabee ……………………………………….. 15%
Sarah Palin …………………………………………….. 15%
Ron Paul ………………………………………………… 7%
Mitt Romney……………………………………………. 16%
Undecided………………………………………………. 10%

Q3 Would you describe yourself as a liberal,
moderate, or conservative?
Liberal ……………………………………………………. 3%
Moderate………………………………………………… 23%
Conservative…………………………………………… 74%

Q4 If you are a woman, press 1, if a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 48%
Man……………………………………………………….. 52%

Michigan Survey Results:

Q1 If the Republican candidates for President in
2012 were Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee,
Sarah Palin, Ron Paul and Mitt Romney who
would you support?
Newt Gingrich …………………………………………. 16%
Mike Huckabee ……………………………………….. 12%
Sarah Palin …………………………………………….. 24%
Ron Paul ………………………………………………… 6%
Mitt Romney……………………………………………. 37%
Undecided………………………………………………. 4%

Q2 Would you describe yourself as a liberal,
moderate, or conservative?
Liberal ……………………………………………………. 5%
Moderate………………………………………………… 24%
Conservative…………………………………………… 71%

Q3 If you are a woman, press 1, if a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 47%
Man……………………………………………………….. 53%

Q4 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1 now. If
you are 30 to 45, press 2. If you are 46 to 65,
press 3. If older, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 7%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 28%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 43%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 22%