CONCORD, N.H., Dec. 25 (UPI) -- With the first U.S. presidential primary getting close, Mitt Romney is the clear leader in New Hampshire with Gingrich slowing down, a poll indicates.
Even though Romney dropped 3 percentage points since November among the state's likely Republican voters, he maintains the support of 39 percent in The Boston Globe poll.
With slightly more than two weeks before the nation's first primary Jan. 10, Ron Paul has gained momentum and ties with Newt Gingrich with 17 percent, indicating he is weathering the former speaker's national comeback, the Globe reported Sunday.
The poll indicated Paul's support has risen 5 percentage points since last month compared to Jon Huntsman's 3 percentage point rise and Gingrich's 2 percentage point bump.
Possible dark horse Jon Huntsman has the support of 11 percent of New Hampshire's likely Republican voters.
The rest of the Republican hopefuls are languishing in New Hampshire, the poll indicated.
Rick Santorum is in fourth place, with support from 3 percent of the state's likely Republican voters, followed by Michele Bachmann at 2 percent and Rick Perry at 1 percent, the Boston Globe poll said.
The live telephone poll of 543 likely Republican voters was conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center between Dec. 12 and Dec. 19, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.
