Apparently so. Having lost in the Iowa Straw Poll it looks like curtains for him in the caucuses. Via Rasmussen.

“Confirming a surge seen in polling across the nation, Texas Governor Rick Perry has moved into first place among Republican voters in Iowa, host state to the first-in-the-nation caucus early next year.

A Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of those likely to participate in the Iowa GOP Caucus shows that Perry is the first choice for 29%. Essentially tied for second are Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann at 18% and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney at 17%. Texas Congressman Ron Paul picks up 14% of the vote, and nobody else currently reaches the five percent (5%) mark.

A month ago, before Perry officially entered the race, Bachmann and Romney were essentially tied for the lead with Perry in fourth place.
The new Iowa results are consistent with national polling which also shows Perry on top. Perry leads President Obama by three in an early look at a possible general election matchup. Other top Republican contenders are close. The president trails a generic Republican by eight.

Now there is lot of time and 18 more debates before we can crown a front runner, but Romney’s slip to third is stunning. It also shows that Republicans are looking for a candidate that has valid and proven conservative credentials. Romney’s issue is that he has always come off as faking it. Maybe it’s just me but that’s the way I see it. I don’t see Romney coming back as a front runner at this point.