Romney holds major lead in 2012 poll, but voters remain tepid on GOP field

Mitt Romney has expanded his lead in the race for the 2012 GOP nomination.

A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll finds 30 percent of GOP voters support the former Massachusetts governor's bid for the White House—a 16 point lead over his closest competitor, Sarah Palin, who has not yet decided on whether she will mount a presidential run.

But when Palin is taken out of the mix, Romney's lead jumps to 43 percent—a 32 point lead over his closest competitors, Rep. Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul, who are tied at 11 percent. Rick Santorum trails at 9 percent, Newt Gingrich at 8 percent and Tim Pawlenty at 7 percent.

While Romney holds a serious lead, there are still signs the race is still unsettled. Just 45 percent of likely primary voters are happy with the current GOP field. By comparison, 73 percent of GOP voters were pleased with the crop of contenders in 2008, which also included Romney.

According to the poll, Romney trails President Obama in a projected general election match-up, 43 percent to Obama's 49 percent. But the president is facing dismal numbers of his own--especially on the economy. Sixty-two percent of those polled believe the nation is on the "wrong track," while 44 percent believe the nation is in the midst of another economic recession.

Those numbers are sure to make Obama's re-election campaign nervous as the president prepares to lobby for a second term in office. Still, there is one small hopeful sign for Obama strategists: The poll finds that six in 10 potential voters believe Obama inherited the nation's economic mess from the Bush administration.

(Photo of Romney: Charles Krupa/AP)