LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Among Republican primary voters, Romney captured the support of 21 percent in a nine-candidate field.

Trump was tied for second with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, with 17 percent. House Speaker Newt Gingrich got 11 percent, just ahead of former Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin's 10 percent.

Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, considered a strong contender by political handicappers, remains largely unknown, with just 6 percent support. Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota had 5 percent, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum 3 percent, and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour with just 1 percent.

Mr. Trump "may be a punch line but when he talks about the way to solve our problems, he makes a lot of sense to the average guy out there," Todd Mauney, a conservative Republican in Weatherford, Texas says. "I don't know if people can get over him being the butt of every joke but for me, he can be serious when it's time to make real decisions."

In a narrower field of five candidates, excluding Mr. Trump but including Messrs. Gingrich, Pawlenty and Barbour and Bachmann, Romney comes out with a comfortable 20-point lead, 40 percent to Gingrich's second-place 20 percent.
 
Trump is the fourth of five children of Fred Trump, a real-estate developer based in New York City and self-made millionaire. Donald was strongly influenced by his father in his eventual goals to make a career in real estate development, and upon his graduation from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1968, Donald Trump joined his father\'s company, Elizabeth Trump & Son; taking its helm in 1971 and rechristening it The Trump Organization.