Moderates Push Romney Ahead of 2012 Pack

Despite all the Tea Party commotion, Mitt Romney still leads the 2012 GOP polls thanks to his big lead among party moderates.

For all the Tea Party commotion, the latest round of presidential preference polling reminds that Mitt Romney still leads among Republican voters.

In New Hampshire, Romney leads 40-13 over his nearest competitor.

In California, he leads 25-18.

In Colorado, he leads 22-17.

There are states where Romney does less well: Illinois and Pennsylvania for example.

But the interesting background to the poll is the structure of Romney preference: While Palin, Gingrich, and Huckabee divide the votes of conservatives (with further competition perhaps to come from other entrants to the race), Romney holds a big and uncontested lead among party moderates.

Yes, they exist. And it turns out: they matter.