Cain 38.3%, Gingrich 22.6% & Paul 16.4%

After previously peaking in May at 24.8%, Herman Cain found himself in a downward spiral. For a while, it seemed he wouldn't be able to get out of the doldrums of single digits in the Townhall.com Straw Poll and in his national numbers. That all changed this month as he surged to take in 38.3% of the vote, a net gain of 28.5 points since September. Herman Cain was far and away the big winner this month.

The next big winner was Newt Gingrich. He climbed 18.1 points to take second place with 22.6% of the vote. It was his best showing since MARCH when he took 11.75%. Gingrich bottomed out in July with 1.4% of the vote but has seen a steady increase in support since. As is true with Cain, Gingrich has also seen his national poll numbers rise. Both Cain and Gingrich have received excellent marks for their debate performances of late.

Ron Paul finally showed a chink in his armor, losing 3.5 points and finishing third. This is the first month he hasn't finished first or second since we started polling in January.

Paul's losses don't even compare to that of Rick Perry who lost an astounding 22.4 points this month to finish at 9.5%. It was far and away the biggest loss in support in the history of the Townhall.com Straw Poll. The next biggest slide was in July when Herman Cain lost an incomparable 7.6 points.

Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Jon Huntsman all lost slight support this month as well. Undecided voters were slightly more decided this month as less votes were cast for "Someone else/Undecided."

MORE