9/11/07 Rasmussen Thompson 28% Giuliani 21%

This is the largest lead Thompson, or anyone for that matter, has had over Guiliani. Expect the state polls (Iowa, Nevada, Michigan, NH) to begin showing eroding support for Romney as they reflect the Thompson surge.

CNN showing a similar trend: WASHINGTON (CNN) — Five days after he officially jumped into the Republican race for the White House, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson finds himself in a statistical dead heat with frontrunner Rudy Giuliani, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll out Tuesday.

The former New York City mayor garners 28 percent nationally among registered Republicans while Thompson is only one point behind at 27 percent — well within the poll's 5 percentage point margin of error. In a similar poll taken in August, Giuliani registered 29 percent while Thompson, then not yet an official presidential candidate, was at 22 percent.

Arizona Sen. John McCain comes in a distant third at 15 percent, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney close behind at 11 percent. McCain was at 16 percent in the August poll while Romney registered 12 percent. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee now stands at 5 percent.