Romney has clear lead among Republicans, poll says

Mitt Romney has a growing lead in the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, and almost half of the party's voters expect him to be the nominee, according to a recent poll.

Twenty-eight percent of Republicans backed the former Massachusetts governor, giving him a lead of 8 percentage points over his nearest challenger Herman Cain in the poll, taken November 10-11. 

Romney was 5 percentage points ahead in a survey November 7-8.

Newt Gingrich, the U.S. House of Representatives speaker in the mid-1990s, solidified a recent rise among conservatives seeking an alternative to the more moderate Romney, coming in third place in the current poll with 16 percent. 

Gingrich, who is seen as having performed well in recent debates, was viewed as the second-most "presidential" of the Republican hopefuls, according to the poll.

Whether or not they support him, almost half of the Republicans surveyed expect Romney to become the nominee to oppose President Barack Obama, a Democrat, in the November 2012 election. 

Romney, who also ran for president in 2008, has been in first or second place in polls for months and enjoys by far the most campaign funds of the Republican field.

But some in his party see him as too liberal, and he has so far failed to significantly boost his level of support in polls. The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, however, shows he is benefiting from missteps by his rivals. 

"As the other candidates falter, his image comes into relief," Ipsos pollster Cliff Young said.

The campaign of former pizza executive Cain has been dogged by allegations that he sexually harassed four women in the late 1990s. He has denied the allegations. 

Texas Governor Rick Perry was in fourth place with 12 percent in the latest poll, which was taken on the heels of his disastrous performance in a debate on Wednesday when he could not remember key details of one of his main policy proposals.

He had 10 percent in the November 7-8 poll. 

When judged on his personal qualities, Romney was rated strongly by Republicans, while both Perry and Cain trailed in important categories.

Romney, the former head of the Bain Capital private equity firm, says his business experience gives him an advantage over other Republicans and Obama in the quest to create jobs for the sluggish US economy. 

Far more voters see Romney as presidential than those who feel the same way about his Republican rivals, with 34 percent in the poll saying he is the most presidential candidate in the field.

"Going into the primaries, he's in a strong position and his image is solidifying around a very important attribute, which is being presidential, or being seen as presidential," Young said.