Fred increases his lead

From The Las Vegas Review Journal:

The "Law & Order" candidate isn't officially running for president, but he's Nevadans' top pick to be the Republican nominee, according to a new poll.

A statewide poll of presidential preferences conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. that was made available to the Review-Journal on Saturday shows hypothetical candidate Fred Thompson leading a tight Republican field.

The television star and former Tennessee senator had the support of 25 percent of the 400 likely Republican caucus goers in the poll, conducted Wednesday through Friday. He was followed by Mitt Romney, with 20 percent, and Rudy Giuliani, with 17 percent.

John McCain slid down to single digits in the poll, with just 8 percent. The poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Fred and Mitt are in a statistical tie because of the error margin of the poll, but Fred is definitely ahead of Julie Annie. I think this is going to set the pattern for the rest of the primary season on the Republican side. As more and more Republicans become convinced that Fred both can win the nomination and be competitive in the general election they will migrate away from the problematic Romney and Giuliani camps (as of this time McCain has reached also-ran status).