Iowa Poll: Newt Gingrich leads field, Mitt Romney falls to third place

Newt Gingrich demonstrates—and admires—the size of his ego during a recent GOP debate
 

Newt Gingrich demonstrates—and admires—the size of his ego during a recent GOP debate
 

Selzer & Co. for Des Moines Register. November 27-30. Iowa Republicans. ±4.9%.

Obviously, the first thing these numbers show is Newt Gingrich's incredible comeback. But Mitt Romney has also taken a tumble over the past month—he's not only run into a polling ceiling, he's starting to lose ground ... and he's losing it just as he's gearing up to try to win the state.

5:12 PM PT: These numbers—at least the top lines—are really bad for Rick Perry, not that anybody cares. He's been spending heavily on ads in the state, but he's not getting anywhere. Tomorrow we'll get the DMR's full analysis of the poll, including additional data, but Perry can't be happy tonight.

5:13 PM PT: Tomorrow's analysis really will be very interesting to read, but the DMR previewed one aspect of it:

One notable finding: The results show Gingrich’s ascendancy has the potential to grow, pollster J. Ann Selzer said.

More respondents choose Gingrich as their second choice than any other candidate. Together, 43 percent of likely caucusgoers pick him as first or second.

5:20 PM PT: PPP says they're seeing the same thing, except with Perry running stronger.