Gallup is out with a new poll of Republican voters, comparing which candidates they prefer for the 2012 nomination and which issues they claim are most important to them. The issues of government spending and the economy ranked highest with Republican voters, and Romney did his best with that group.

Having worked hard to cultivate as serious “business man” image, Romney probably has the most to gain among the potential Republican nominees if the economy stays bad and continues to remain a top concern with primary voters. With a bad economy, it would theoretically also then be much easier for Romney to defeat President Obama in the general.

Obviously, the field is still fluid, but for candidates, like Mike Huckabee, that do best when voters rank social issues as a top concerns, their best hope would be if the economic recovery threaded the proverbial needle. Having the economy improve enough that it is not the overwhelming concern of Republican primary voters, but not improved so much that Obama has become unbeatable thanks to a rapidly growing economy.