Mitt Romney tops Gallup poll

WASHINGTON, May 26 (UPI) -- Only one in five Republicans has a preference among potential Republican presidential candidates, a poll indicates.

Among potential candidates, Mitt Romney leads Sarah Palin 17 percent to 15 percent, while Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain are tied for third, each with 8 percent of the vote, a Gallup Poll released Thursday said.

Of the 10 candidates on Gallup's poll, seven have either officially declared their candidacies or established exploratory committees. Jon Huntsman and Michele Bachmann are expected to officially join the race, but Palin's candidacy is less certain.

If Palin decides not to run and her votes are reallocated, Gallup said, Romney would lead with 19 percent, followed by Paul and Gingrich with 12 percent each.

The poll said Romney's appeal is greater among college graduates [25 percent] than non-graduates [13 percent]. Palin fares better among non-graduates [18 percent] than college graduates [8 percent].

In April, Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee were co-leaders in a Gallup poll. Both have since said they will not be candidates.

Romney is the leading candidate among churchgoing Republicans, at 19 percent.

The poll also found that Romney and Palin generally do better among conservatives than liberals and moderates. Paul is competitive with Romney and Palin for the top spot among liberals and moderates.

The poll was conducted May 20-24 among 971 U.S. adults. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.