The latest results of the Des Moines Register Iowa Poll show Herman Cain and Mitt Romney at the front of the pack of Republican presidential candidates, Cain with 23 percent of the vote and Romney with 22 percent, respectively. Ron Paul came in third, capturing 12 percent of the vote.

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann came in with just 8 percent of the vote, a stark difference from June’s poll, when she shared the lead with Romney. Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich each received 7 percent, followed by Rick Santorum at 5 percent.

“You always look at these polls like they predict the future, and all they do is measure the noise of the last two weeks,” said longtime GOP national campaign strategist Mike Murphy, to the newspaper. “But at this moment, it is a Cain/Romney race.”

The Des Moines Register's Iowa Poll has asked Iowans about their caucus preferences since the 1980s, making it the nation's longest continuously running newspaper poll. It gained further acclaim four years ago for being the only public poll to show Barack Obama with a lead over Hillary Clinton and John Edwards. However, because of the very low turnout of eligible adults to the Iowa Caucuses, past results have been widely debated.