Groundhog Day? In New National Poll, Giuliani Leads the Pack

Will former NYC-mayor Rudy Giuliani throw his hat into the 2012 presidential race? That's still to be determined. But, earlier today, the Sept. 11 hero and 2008 presidential candidate found himself at the top of the Republican pack.

The results of CNN's most recent survey indicate that 16 percent of GOP adherents and independents who lean toward the Republican Party prefer Giuliani. Falling right behind him comes Mitt Romney (15 percent) and Sarah Palin (13 percent). While these numbers, at the least, show some voter goodwill toward Giuliani, they may spell trouble for a party that hopes to recapture the White House next year. As CNN reports:

Two of the three people at the top of new national poll in the battle for the Republican nomination may not even run for the White House. And a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey also suggests that there is not a lot of enthusiasm about any of the major candidates.

The takeaway? Voters are still undecided. Let's not count out Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain and all of the other candidates who plan to give it their best shot. With the campaign sluggishly moving forward, there's still plenty of time for stars to both rise and fall.

If you recall, back in 2007, Giuliani also found himself leading his rivals, but he inevitably lost that battle, leaving Republicans to nominate Sen. John McCain (and we know how that story ended).

A few days ago, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) added some fuel to Giuliani's potential candidacy, telling journalists that he believes the former mayor will, indeed, jump into the race. King claims that Giuliani and his team have learned from their 2008 mistakes and that New Hampshire is the key. Interestingly, Giuliani is headlining the state's Republican dinner this evening. You can see King's comments below:

So, will he or won't he? Anything's possible in American politics. We'll just have to wait and see.