Giuliani and Clinton stay in the lead

Thompson "has this allure, but he hasn't been tested yet," said Times Poll Director Susan Pinkus, who conducted the survey. "He has gotten a free ride so far."

Conservatives uneasy

For months, many conservatives have been uneasy with their choices. The survey shows that a substantial bloc, voters like poll respondent Ted Uhlemann, 56, of Littleton, Colo., is gravitating toward Thompson, an opponent of abortion rights and gun control.

"He's just more conservative than the rest of them," Uhlemann, an environmental engineer, said of the top Republicans in a follow-up interview. "They're all a little more liberal than I would expect the candidate for the Republican Party to be."

For Giuliani, an ace remains his leadership of New York after the terrorist strikes of Sept. 11, 2001. More than two-thirds of Republican-leaning primary voters rate a candidate's views on terrorism and national security as more important than stands on social issues. The top pick for those voters: Giuliani, who has focused his campaign heavily on his record and his commitment to fight terrorism.

For McCain, the survey pointed to lasting trouble among conservative Republicans: One in four would not vote for him under any circumstances. Their longstanding gripes have included his opposition to President Bush's tax cuts and his backing for efforts -- now apparently stalled in Congress -- to put illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship.

"McCain has too much of a liberal bent," said Pat Pensa, 60, a Republican housewife who lives in Kennesaw, Ga., and leans toward Thompson.

As for Romney, the poll found no advancement despite a "60 Minutes" profile, a Time magazine cover story and other national exposure in recent weeks. Also, Thompson's initial success in attracting conservatives raises doubts about Romney's drive to make inroads among those voters.

Still, polls in Iowa and New Hampshire -- early-voting states where Romney has campaigned heavily -- put him in the top tier, offering hope that success there could build momentum for primaries elsewhere.

Stuck on the bottom rungs in the Republican contest are former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who gets 3%; former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, 2%; Rep. Duncan Hunter of El Cajon, 1%; and Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, and Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, less than 1%. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is not in the race and has said he will not decide about running until the fall, gets 9%.