Just a few things to add (and yes, a "birdie" delivered the
report in my in box too so I'll assume the poll numbers are right
for now): 1) The RCP averages have shown a decline in Romney's lead
recently from nearly 12% to under 5% so this is not an isolated
poll. 2) Romney is on the air in NH with paid TV ads. The others
are not on TV although Rudy has radio ads up. So the poll movement
happened while Romney still enjoyed a TV ad monopoly. 3) This has
nothing to do with Thompson's entrance that I can see- McCain and
Rudy are the ones taking the votes away. 4) Did Romney's recent
debate performance, considered one of his weakest, and McCain's
strong one contribute to this? Perhaps NH voters do actually watch
debates. 5) Romney is stressing a strong social conservative
message and recently has been emphasizing the gay marriage issue in
Iowa. This may not mesh well with fiscally conservative NH voters
with a streak of libertarianism.
topics:
Libertarianism
