Good News For Huckabee and Edwards

This blog has predicted that the top three GOP finishers in the Iowa caucuses will be Romney, Huckabee, and Giuliani and a new CBS poll confirms this.

Huckabee continues to be the consensus choice for conservatives not rallying to Romney with Thompson now fading fast. However, the poll does point out that immigration is the top issue among GOP caucus attendees. We've already talked about Huckabee's support for the "dream act"...Romney will probably start talking about it as well.

Obama supporters are probably discouraged that Edwards is the top "second choice" candidate currently. Because supporters of "non-viable" candidates must throw their support behind a "viable" candidate (usually a candidate enjoying more than 15 percent support at a caucus), the Obama campaign is hoping the anti-Hillary vote will coalesce around their man. The poll also shows Edwards running strong with older voters and he has been working the small towns hard.

The poll shows support for Obama among young people--making his January 3 organizational skills critical. Older voters traditionally turn out in higher numbers than younger voters; the Obama campaign will need to buck that trend.