Giuliani leads California but Huckabee gaining: poll

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has made dramatic gains in California but still trails front-runner Rudy Giuliani, according to a poll released on Thursday.

The Field Poll conducted December 10-17 found 25 percent backing former New York Mayor Giuliani, unchanged from October, while former Arkansas Gov. Huckabee's support rose to 17 percent from 4 percent over the same two months in California, the biggest prize of all the primaries.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had 15 percent support, followed by Arizona Sen. John McCain at 12 percent, according to the poll of 322 likely Republican voters that had a margin of error of 5.7 percentage points.

Although Iowa and New Hampshire, which hold the first two presidential nominating contests early next month, have dominated the candidates' attention, California will select about one-fifth of the delegates needed to choose the Republican and Democratic candidates who will face off in the November 2008 election.

Californians go to the polls on February 5, so-called "Super Tuesday," when more than 20 states hold primaries.

Giuliani is considered more liberal on issues such as gay rights and abortion than many of his Republican primary rivals. He rose to wide prominence for his role leading New York City after the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Huckabee, a former Baptist preacher who has been praised for his likable manner on the campaign trail, has risen dramatically in polls nationwide in recent weeks.

The Field Poll found a sharp drop in support for actor and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson to 6 percent from 12 percent over the past two months. Another 18 percent were undecided.

A Field Poll released on Wednesday found 36 percent of likely California Democratic voters back New York Sen. Hillary Clinton for the nomination, down from 49 percent in August.

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama ran second with 22 percent, up from 19 percent in August. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards was third with 13 percent in the survey, which had a margin of error of 4.7 percentage points.

Most of those who defected from Clinton appear to have landed for now in the "undecided" column, which has grown to 20 percent from 12 percent in August.

In a state where Democrats are by far the strongest party, both Clinton and Obama were far ahead of the top Republican candidates in a theoretical match-up posed by the poll.

(Editing by Eric Beech)