In one of the few statewide Wisconsin presidential primary polls conducted this year, a new Badger Poll finds a Thompson atop the GOP field. Whether it is a case of false name recognition or whether he has built a surprising base of support in Wisconsin is unclear, but Fred Thompson (not Tommy—the state’s former Governor and former 2008 Republican presidential candidate) leads the way with 30 percent of support among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.

Thompson has seen his support nationwide decline by approximately 50 percent since he officially announced his candidacy in early September. For a while, Thompson was also demonstrating strong regional support in southern states like South Carolina and Georgia (where his numbers have also fallen by double digits).

The Badger poll, conducted November 27—December 5, found Rudy Giuliani in second place with 25 percent, followed by John McCain (15 percent), Mike Huckabee (8 percent), Mitt Romney (5 percent), and Ron Paul (4 percent).

Wisconsin holds its primary on February 19th—two weeks after Super Tuesday, so the number of candidates left standing at that time on both the Democratic and Republican sides will likely be just a handful of those hoping to finish strong in the Iowa Caucuses on January 3rd.

On the Democratic side, the Badger Poll numbers generally reflect the nation-wide surveys. Hillary Clinton received the support of 39 percent of democrats and independents leaning democratic, followed by Barack Obama at 26 percent, John Edwards at 15 percent, and Bill Richardson at 4 percent.

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