Rudy Giuliani

Poll: With Huckabee, Trump Out Of The Picture, Giuliani Leads GOP Primary Free-For-All

Jon Terbush | May 27, 2011, 1:57PM

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) and GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney

Despite making virtually no noise about a presidential campaign, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) is the new frontrunner in the Republican primary, according to a CNN poll released today. But Giuliani's sudden emergence is less a sign of his strength than it is reminder of the nebulous nature of the GOP field, one which was thrown into flux recently with the news that Mike Huckabee and Donald Trump would not pursue White House bids.

In early polls of the race, support has generally ebbed and flowed among a handful of well-known candidates -- including Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, and Newt Gingrich -- with little ground separating those in the top-tier. Huckabee and Trump each posted leads in a few national surveys, and with their departure, their supporters have sifted down to the remaining high-profile names.

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