Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has opened a bigger lead in the New Hampshire Republican Presidential Primary. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey shows that Romney holds a fifteen-point advantage over Rudy Giuliani in the Granite State (see toplines and crosstabs). That’s up from a nine-point lead in October and a three-point lead in September.

Most of the other candidates have seen little change in their poll position.

Romney now has support from 32% of Likely Primary Voters. That figure matches his highest level of support of the season and is up from 28% a month ago. While he has struggled in national polls, Romney has consistently remained on top in the early voting states of New Hampshire and Iowa.

Rudy Giuliani attracts 17% of those voters, down a couple of points from the last survey. Giuliani’s support has ranged from 17% to 22% in five Rasmussen Reports polls of this race.

John McCain at 16% and Mike Huckabee at 10% are the only other Republicans in double digits. Their totals have not changed since the October survey.

Fred Thompson now attracts just 7% of the vote and is trailed by Ron Paul (4%) Tom Tancredo (3%), and Duncan Hunter (2%). Ten percent (10%) remain undecided.

While the general dynamic of the race appears similar to earlier polling, it is hard to overstate the potential fluidity of the GOP race. A solid majority of the state’s Primary Voters acknowledge that something could come up to change their mind before voting. Just 40% of those who support Giuliani and Romney are certain that’s how they will ultimately vote. Forty-five percent (45%) of McCain’s supporters are certain that he’s their man while 53% of Huckabee backers are that certain.

Giuliani is viewed favorably by 73% of Likely Primary voters, Romney by 80%. Positive reviews for McCain come from 66% while only 55% say the same about Thompson. Forty-five percent (48%) have a positive impression of Huckabee who remains an unknown to 17% of the state’s voters. Ron Paul who brings a surprisingly large campaign bank account to the state is viewed favorably by 33% and unfavorably by 51%.

Unlike Democrats in the state, Republican Primary voters are fairly united on the topic of illegal immigration. Eighty percent (80%) believe that when police pull someone over for a traffic violation, they should routinely check to see if that person is in the country legally. If the person is discovered to be an illegal immigrant, 73% believe that person should be deported. Only 20% believe that this policy would invite discrimination.

As for giving drivers licenses to illegal immigrants, 92% of Republican Primary Voters in New Hampshire are opposed. Just 5% support that policy. These figures are similar to national levels of support within the GOP. Overall, 77% of adults nationwide oppose drivers licenses for illegal immigrants.

Just 58% of Republican Primary voters in the state say that President Bush is doing a good or an excellent job.

A recent Rasmussen Reports analysis noted that Hillary Clinton’s performance in the Iowa caucuses may have a significant impact on the Republican Primary in New Hampshire… and on determining the Republican Presidential nominee. That’s because independent voters in New Hampshire are currently more interested in the Democratic Primary than in the GOP field. A Clinton victory in Iowa could cause many of those independents to change their mind and participate in the Republican Primary instead. Clinton remains the Democratic frontrunner nationally and leads in Iowa. However polling released yesterday shows that her lead is getting smaller in New Hampshire.

See survey questions and top-line results. Crosstabs available for Premium Members only.