Gallup’s new portrait of GOP presidential candidate preferences by issue preference displays some moderately interesting features. Among frontrunners Huckabee, Romney, and Palin, Huckabee is the choice of social conservatives; Romney, of economic conservatives; and Palin, of foreign policy conservatives. Mostly the differences are not great but a couple stand out. Huckabee is weak with those Republicans who care most about business. And Romney is very weak with the moral values crowd, who prefer Huckabee to him by a 4-1 margin. In other words, the two stand exactly where they were last presidential cycle.

As of today, 31 percent of GOP voters think business/economic issues are the most important, compared with 17 percent who think moral/social issues are. If the economy continues to improve, the gap should narrow–which is good news for Huck, and bad for Mitt.