Seven straight: Huck fares best against Obama

For the seventh consecutive month, Public Policy Polling finds Mike Huckabee faring best against Barack Obama in a series of 2012 matchups (poll here, pdf).

2012 matchups:

1. Barack Obama 47% Mike Huckabee 42 43%

2. Barack Obama 48% Mitt Romney 40%

3. Barack Obama 52% Sarah Palin 40%

4. Barack Obama 50% Tim Pawlenty 30%


Favorables:

1. Mike Huckabee 33%/29%

2. Mitt Romney 34%/34%

3. Tim Pawlenty 11%/16%

4. Sarah Palin 36%/51%


Favorables by gender:

1. Huckabee, women 32%/23%. Men, 34%/35%.

2. Romney, women 29%/32%, Men, 39%/35%

3. Palin, women 32%/54%, Men, 40%/47%

4. Pawlenty, women 7%/14%, Men, 16%/20%


Favorables among Republicans:

1. Mike Huckabee 56%/13% (corrected)

2. Sarah Palin 72%/18%

3. Mitt Romney 54%/20%

4. Tim Pawlenty 15%/9%


Favorables by age group:

a. Huck is viewed positively by all age groups, except 30-45 yr olds, where he's at -2%.

b. Palin is viewed unfavorably by all age groups.

c. Romney is viewed favorably by 18-29 yr olds and 65+. He's viewed unfavorably by the age groups squeezed between the extremes.


Favorables by region:

a. Huck's positive in the Midwest and South; negative in Northeast and West.

b. Palin's positive in the South; negative everywhere else.

c. Romney's positive in the South, Midwest, and West; negative in the Northeast.


Notes: The obvious take from this (and practically every other poll in the last few months) is that Mike Huckabee, yes, Mike Huckabee is the front-runner for the nomination, no matter how much the press tries pitting this as a Romney v Palin match.

The most fascinating finding is that Huck's the only Republican whose favorables are positive among women. Could this be the talk-show effect?

By nearly every important metric, Huckabee leads, and this is turning into a pattern -- not just with Public Policy Polling surveys, but with straw polls and, most recently, Rasmussen.

Mitt Romney continues to be mired in the middle, which isn't a bad place to be, considering the middle is often where the gaggle congregates for safety.

Palin supporters will claim her candidate's been lying low, biding her time. But can anyone make the argument she's been starved for media attention?

Her facebook posts alone wake up sleeping anchors, and if you credit Palin for her work against "death panels", you have to also concede the massive press she generates.

Huck's leading this thing, and thanks to his media empire, he's leading it all the way to the bank.

[Hat tip: Political Wire]