Romney Leads GOP in Calif. Field Poll

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is the only Republican remotely close to challenging Mitt Romney among GOP voters in California, a new Field Poll shows.

Among the other potential candidates, only Sarah Palin even gets into double figures, with 10 percent naming her as first choice, compared to Romney’s 25 percent and Giuliani’s 17 percent, the poll shows.

But when it comes to surveying voters of all political stripes, two out of every three voters in the Golden State view Palin unfavorably.

The poll reinforces Romney’s position as front-runner among the crowded Republican field running for the right to take on President Barack Obama in November next year. Giuliani has not declared, although speculation is mounting that he will run.

Among 12 potential GOP candidates — the seven who appeared in the New Hampshire debate June 13, plus Palin, Giuliani, Rick Perry, Jon Huntsman and Gary Johnson — only Romney and Giuliani have more voters saying they have a favorable opinion of them than unfavorable.

When it comes to President Obama, 54 percent of Californians approve of the job he is doing while 37 percent disapprove, exactly the same figures a similar poll found in March.