WASHINGTON -- Two new automated polls show sharp declines in support for Newt Gingrich in Iowa, and the national Gallup Daily tracking poll shows a more subtle decline nationwide. The consistency in the trends suggests that the changes are real, and a heavy and mostly unanswered barrage of attack ads in Iowa explains why Gingrich's support there may be falling more rapidly.
The two new automated polls have captured the attention of the news media and helped spur a big move toward Romney on the Intrade prediction market. Specifically,
A new Rasmussen Reports poll shows Gingrich falling 12 points from a high of 32 percent in mid-November to 20 percent now.
A survey released earlier this week by the Democratic-aligned firm Public Policy Polling (PPP) shows a smaller Gingrich decline (from 27 to 22 percent) over the past week.
