The often confusing and many times packed Republican race for the party's nomination has just gotten a little less congested with the announcement that frontrunner Herman Cain was suspending his bid. That announcement came officially on Saturday after much speculation that it was inevitable that the campaign would end amid allegations of sexual harassment and the news of a long term affair with an Atlanta businesswoman. Campaign staff had been bracing for the announcement even before Ginger White came forward with the details of the affair that she said was sexually based.

Former House Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is benefiting from the end of Cain's run, snapping up many of the voters that would have likely voted for Cain during the coming caucuses. In Iowa, which will hold its caucuses just after the start of the new year, Gingrich is likely to garner the support of nearly thirty percent of the voters, a 21% jump from the standings that he held in October. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney holds the second position with 18% of the voters' support, nearly ten percentage points lower than that of October. Texas Representative Ron Paul has surged to third place, just one percentage point behind Romney, a climb of five percent. Cain and Texas Governor Rick Perry had been holding in a tie at 9% after Cain took an 11% dive.

Cain's announcement did not change the numbers in New Hampshire, however. That state will hold caucuses in January, a week after Iowa's. Romney maintains the lead in that state but has dropped by several percentage points in the past few weeks while Gingrich has jumped by nearly 20%, allowing him to close the gap between first and second places. Perry is not mentioned in New Hampshire's ranking.

In a survey, over sixty percent of respondents found it to be unacceptable for a candidate to back or support an individual health care mandate. Romney did so in Massachusetts, pushing through his own health care plan in that state. The number in New Hampshire that felt the same way was only slightly lower. Gingrich's stance on illegal aliens, including some limited legalization or amnesty for certain people could potentially hurt him, with nearly fifty percent of the respondents not approving of the concept in both states.

President Barack Obama's current presidential approval ratings are under fifty percent but he would still lead in all potential match ups between any of the Republican potential nominees. Only Ron Paul statistically stands a chance, tying him in a mock match up.