Iowa Poll: GOP Primary a Two-man Race

Since 1943, the The Des Moines Register’s Iowa Poll has served as a widely-watched, incredibly accurate indicator of how presidential candidates are faring in America's leadoff caucus state. This year, the poll has pegged Mitt Romney and Herman Cain as the two most likely candidates to attain the Republican presidential nomination, with 23 percent of survey participants favoring Cain and 22 percent confirming their support for the former Massachusetts governor.

Cain has enjoyed a remarkable surge in popularity since the initial Iowa Poll was released back in August, when he received support from only 10 percent of respondents. Back then, Michele Bachmann controlled 22 percent of the poll and trailed Romney by only a single percentage point. Unfortunately for the Minnesota Congresswoman, her popularity has declined and she now enjoys support from only 8 percent of survey participants.

Ron Paul is now the only other candidate to attain double-digit support in the most recent poll, with 12 percent of respondents backing the Texas Congressman. Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich tied for fifth place, with each receiving backing from only 7 percent.

According to the The Des Moines Register, the Iowa Poll was conducted by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines between Oct. 23 and 26 and has an error margin of plus or minus 4.9 points. In conducting their research, pollsters performed telephone interviews with 400 participants who affirmed that they were likely to attend the 2012 Republican caucus.