"It looks like he's got the strongest campaign, he's raised the most money, and he's not part of the current morass in Washington." -- Top Democrat insider

From Eric Dondero:

The Hotline at National Journal recently conducted an interesting survey. Romney is clearly the far away best hope for a smooth victory for the GOP in 2012, according to some Democrat insiders.

With the economy sputtering, Democratic political operatives view former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as the main Republican threat to President Obama‘s reelection, according to this week’s National Journal Political Insiders Poll.

Democratic Insiders see Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has not yet declared whether or not he will run for president, as the second strongest against Obama. A separate poll of Republican insiders, released Thursday, also showed Perry as Romney’s main GOP challenger.

Who would be the Republicans’ strongest presidential nominee in 2012?

Mitt Romney 48% 27%
Rick Perry 20% 5%
Jon Huntsman 16% 25%
Chris Christie 6% 11%
Tim Pawlenty 6% 20%

Interestingly, some favorites of the libertarian/Tea Party wing - Herman Cain, Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, Gary Johnson or even Michele Bachmann - did not place as serious contenders.

H/t Race42012