Romney leads, Paul rises in N.H. poll

[coalition_unwilling]

19. Romney is a 'favorite son' in New Hampshire, so his front-runner

status means very little, when you look at his polling behind Paul in Iowa (where neither is favorite son) and in the south, where Romney's Mormon faith will cost him hugely among fundamentalist, evangelical and charismatic kooks.

What is significant is that Paul is emerging as the 'not-Mitt' candidate, replacing Newt in that role. Stands to reason, as Newt's ground game is all but non-existent in the early states, whereas Paul has been organizing at the ground level for at least the past 6 months.

FWIW, Paul would work to overturn Roe v. Wade. That's a show-stopper for anyone calling him- or herself a 'progressive,' imho. That said, I respect politicians who demonstrate tactical and strategic competence, even when I vehemently disagree with their positions. In that regard, and that regard alone, Paul has earned my respect.