Romney Jumps Ahead in Iowa

ABC News’ Lindsay Hamilton reports: In a new Des Moines Register poll, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has jumped ahead of his Republican rivals in Iowa. Likely caucus-goers in the strategically significant state had previously preferred Senator John McCain of Arizona and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, but now Romney has a sizeable lead. Thirty percent of those surveyed supported Romney, followed by McCain and Giuliani and 18 and 17 percent, respectively.

On the Democratic side, the same poll finds former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina leading the pack with 29 percent, followed by Senator Barack Obama, Ill., and Senator Hillary Clinton, N.Y.

The margin of error in the poll was +/- 4.9 percent.