Mike Carlson / AP Photos
The bid for the Republican nomination has become a battle for middle-class approval. Texas Gov. Rick Perry used Mitt Romney’s own debate joke against him during a speech in Iowa today. “As the son of tenant farmers, I can promise you I wasn’t born with four aces in my hand,” Perry quipped, hoping to convey to Iowa voters that he’s just like them—and that Romney’s not. In last week’s Republican debate, Romney insinuated that Texas’s successful job growth was created not by Perry but by the state’s natural resources, saying, “If you’re dealt four aces, that doesn’t necessarily make you a great poker player.” Perry’s digs may be working for him as a new poll finds the Texas governor ahead of his fellow contenders for the Republican nomination. Still, the same survey predicts Romney having a better chance than Perry of beating President Obama in a hypothetical election.