Quinnipiac poll: Romney trails Perry, but does better against Obama

A new Quinnipiac University poll out early Wednesday shows Texas Gov. Rick Perry climbing to a narrow lead in the GOP presidential nomination contest, but former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney running slightly better against President Barack Obama.

On the Republican side of the aisle, Perry leads with 24 percent. Romney holds second place with 18 percent. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin takes bronze with 11 percent (if undecideds at 16 percent aren’t counted), but is followed closely by U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann with 10 percent. U.S. Rep. Ron Paul is another step lower at 9 percent. No other candidates break the 5 percent mark.

Although most voters polled (51 percent) indicated that Obama did not deserve to be re-elected, the Democratic incumbent still maintains a narrow lead or ties when pitted against the GOP nominee hopefuls. A Romney-Obama match-up results in a 45 percent tie. When placed against Perry, Obama claimed 45 percent while Perry garners 42.

There is also other concerning news for the man three national polls have now said is the GOP frontrunner. According to Quinnipiac, more than half of all voters — 55 percent — don’t know enough about him to say whether or not they view him favorably. Of the 45 percent that have formed an opinion, 23 percent view him unfavorably.