Good and bad news for Rudy today. In the new Gallup poll he is down 9 pts from a month ago and 3 pts from last time to 25% but still leads the field by 9 pts. It should surprise no one that in second place is Huckabee ( 16%). Everyone else is down a few points from last time also. The rest of the pack: Thomspon at 15%, McCain 15% and Romney 12%. Fifth place isn’t where you want to be but of course the Romney folks don’t take nationally polling seriously. The Rudy people respond to the latest poll: “Mayor Giuliani continues to lead the Republican field just as he has in each major media poll since February. It’s clear Rudy has real staying power because he has the right experience and the right message.” Certainly he has taken a beating in the media lately so the Rudy team may be relieved to be where they are at this point and even more pleased by Romney’s difficulties in Iowa and nationally.

On a brighter note for Rudy, his campaign released letters between Rudy and ATR’s Grover Norquist . Norquist’s sounds sound very encouraging/near endorsement like. The key quote for the Rudy people as they make their case for NH: “In looking at the records of all the Republican candidates, yours clearly stands out. You cut the income tax, business taxes, sales taxes, property-related taxes, and nuisance taxes. You are the most successful tax cutter in modern New York history and, on balance, the most successful tax cutter in the Republican field today. If you are elected president, I will look forward to working with you to reduce and reform taxes, restore fiscal discipline, increase government transparency, and pursue pro-growth policies that will improve America’s competitiveness in the global economy.” The scoop is here.