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Is Newt Gingrich losing his place at the head of the GOP presidential field? The fate suffered by previous Republican front-runners suggests his support might be about to fall off a cliff.

Polling data assembled by my colleague Scott Bland shows a similar timeline for the candidates who momentarily claimed the race's front-runner's mantle: Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Georgia businessman Herman Cain (and to a lesser degree, Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann) each rocketed past their opponents, led for about a month, and eventually collapsed.