Undeclared presidential candidate Fred Thompson is the current front-runner in Hotline's GOP Bloggers Straw Poll.
The Blogometer is starting to notice a pattern here: a new name is mentioned, bloggers fall in love, compromising facts are revealed, and a new name is mentioned. It could be that this ealry 'whack-a-mole' approach to GOP frontrunners might end up producing a stronger candidate in the end. But it also might just demonstrate that nobody is happy with the GOP's '08 options.
Hotline reports that Thompson is "currently crushing the competition," with 38 percent of the vote, well ahead of Giuliani's 16 percent, Gingrich's 14 percent, Romney's 10 percent, and Duncan Hunter's 7 percent.
Compared to last month's results, we see Thompson stealing 13 points from Giuliani (previously at 29%), 8 points from Gingrich (previously at 22%), and 9 points from Romney (previously at 19%). Thompson is also the most "acceptable" option for conservative blog readers with 74% indicating they'd be willing to support him (55% of respondents tagged John McCain as "unacceptable").
In the Republican-leaning blogosphere, at least, it's now Thompson race to lose.
Other candidates who previously led the GOP Bloggers Straw Poll: Newt Gingrich, then Mitt Romney and then Rudy Giuliani.
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