Poll: Palin, Huckabee and Romney top list

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- A Washington Post-ABC News poll says three former governors top a list of potential Republican candidates for the 2012 presidential election.

They are Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, Sarah Palin, Alaska, and Mitt Romney, Massachusetts.

Huckabee led the poll among Republicans and GOP-leaning independents polled with 21 percent. Palin had 19 percent and Romney had 17 percent. No other potential candidate made it into double digits.

The poll gives a glimpse into the basic shape of the race in its early stages and suggests a top tier of candidates in terms of name identification, the report said.

The poll said Huckabee and Palin seem to share a common base -- with both running more strongly among those with family incomes of less than $50,000 and whites without college degrees.

Romney's base of support is the opposite. He runs best among white college graduates earning $50,000 or more per year.

Among those who identify themselves as conservatives, the list of potential candidates grows to include former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Gingrich was supported by 9 percent of those queried and Christie had 8 percent.

The telephone poll was conducted last Thursday through Sunday among a random national sample that included interviews with 425 Republicans and GOP-leaning independents. The margin of sampling error is 5 percentage points.