Iowa is where Mike Huckabee catapulted himself into the upper echelon of GOP figures, and Iowa Republicans still like him--more than they like his chief 2012 rivals.
Almost 11 months after he surprised the Republican presidential field with a win in the 2008 Iowa caucus, Huckabee collected the highest favorable rating of all major 2012 contenders in a Des Moines Register poll with 70 percent, beating out (in consecutive order) Sarah Palin (68), Newt Gingrich (66), and Mitt Romney (58).
Huckabee keeps the edge on Palin in unfavorable rating, too: 12 percent of Iowa Republicans see him unfavorably, vs. 24 percent for Palin.
Here's how favorability ratings broke down among all 800 poll respondents, including Democrats and independents:
