It’s Mitt Romney and the rest as candidates debate in New Hampshire [Updated]

Mitt Romney is a tentative national front-runner but a decided favorite in New Hampshire as the GOP candidates prepare to debate there Monday night.

A University of New Hampshire survey conducted for the Boston Globe finds the former Massachusetts governor with 41% support among likely Republican voters in the first-in-the-nation primary, withRudolph W. Giuliani -- not yet a candidate -- a distant second at 9%.

The other six participants in the debate manage a combined 23% support. Texas Rep. Ron Paul leads the also-rans with 6%, followed by Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Herman Cain at 4% each, and Newt Gingrich, Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum at 3% each.

Photos: Potential 2012 GOP candidates

Romney had a smaller advantage over the GOP field at a similar point in the last campaign. A June 2007 poll from the University of New Hampshire had Romney at 28%, and Giuliani and Arizona Sen. John McCain tied with 20% apiece. Romney would remain the New Hampshire front-runner until just days before the state’s primary, when a late surge put McCain ahead.

Two new national polls, for USA Today/Gallup and CNN, each showed Romney leading the GOP field with 24% support from Republicans and GOP-leaning independents. Sarah Palin, whose plans remain unclear, placed second in each poll, with 16% and 20%, respectively.

[Updated, 12:24 p.m., June 13: As other leading Republicans have backed away from the race, Romney appears to have benefited the most. Gallup says his 8-point lead in its new poll is the largest numerical lead for any candidate since it began testing Republicans last September.

But “even if Romney were to expand his lead into the double digits in the coming months, he still would rate as one of the weakest Republican front-runners in recent GOP nominating history,” Gallup’s Jeffrey M. Jones wrote Monday, adding that Cain’s and Bachmann’s supporters are far more committed to their candidates.

With that in mind, other candidates have telegraphed an anti-Romney strategy, most notably Pawlenty with his attack on “Obamneycare” during a recent “Fox News Sunday” appearance.]

Romney will quite literally be taking it from all sides when the debate begins Monday at St. Anselm’s College, just outside of Manchester. James Pindell of WMUR, one of the debate sponsors, says organizers have placed Romney dead center among the seven candidates. From left to right on stage, it will be Santorum, Bachmann, Gingrich, Romney, Paul, Pawlenty and Cain.

[Updated, 12:24 p.m., June 13: The debate will be broadcast live on CNN beginning at 8 p.m. EDT.]

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Romney, six other Republicans set to debate in New HampshireMitt Romney is a tentative national front-runner but a decided favorite in New Hampshire as the GOP candidates prepare to debate there Monday night.

A University of New Hampshire survey conducted for the Boston Globe finds the former Massachusetts governor with 41% support among likely Republican voters in the first-in-the-nation primary, withRudolph W. Giuliani -- not yet a candidate -- a distant second at 9%.

The other six participants in the debate manage a combined 23% support. Texas Rep. Ron Paul leads the also-rans with 6%, followed by Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Herman Cain at 4% each, and Newt Gingrich, Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum at 3% each.

Romney had a smaller advantage over the GOP field at a similar point in the last campaign. A June 2007 poll from the University of New Hampshire had Romney at 28%, and Giuliani and Arizona Sen. John McCain tied with 20% apiece. Romney would remain the New Hampshire front-runner until just days before the state’s primary, when a late surge put McCain ahead.

Two new national polls, for USA Today/Gallup and CNN, each showed Romney lead the GOP field with 24% support from Republicans and GOP-leaning independents. Sarah Palin, whose plans remain unclear, placed second in each poll, with 16% and 20%, respectively.

As other leading Republicans have backed away from the race, Romney has benefited the most. Gallup says Romney’s 8-point lead in its new poll is the largest numerical lead for any candidate since it began testing Republicans last September.

But “even if Romney were to expand his lead into the double digits in the coming months, he still would rate as one of the weakest Republican front-runners in recent GOP nominating history, Gallup’s Jeffrey M. Jones writes Monday, adding that Cain and Bachmann’s supporters are far more committed to their candidates.

With that in mind, other candidates have telegraphed an anti-Romney strategy, most notably Pawlenty with his attack on “Obamneycare” during a recent “Fox News Sunday” appearance.

Romney will quite literally be taking it from all sides when the debate begins Monday at St. Anselm’s College, just outside of Manchester. James Pindell of WMUR, one of the debate sponsors, says organizers have placed Romney dead center among the seven candidates. From left to right on stage, it will be Santorum, Bachmann, Gingrich, Romney, Paul, Pawlenty and Cain.

The debate will be broadcast live on CNN beginning at 8 pm Eastern.