Gingrich on Top in New Poll

Newt Gingrich is getting his turn on the merry-go-round that has been the top spot in Republican primary polling. A new USA Today/Gallup poll has Gingrich on top among registered Republican voters with 22%, though that’s just a hair ahead of Mitt Romney’s 21% and within the poll’s margin of error. Herman Cain has fallen back into the pack with 16%, while Rick Perry is languishing in fifth with 8%—behind Ron Paul’s 9%.

Gingrich’s biggest base of supporters: the elderly. Only 4% of people under age 30 support Gingrich, but 27% of those between 50 and 64 do, and among the 65+ crowd that figure jumps to 34%. Romney, too, enjoys strong support among the Social Security crowd, with 28% of the 65+ vote, while Herman Cain’s support is concentrated among younger voters. Overall, “there is no clear national frontrunner,” Gallup concludes, calling the race the most competitive GOP contest since 1972.