Although former House Speaker Newt Gingrich continues to build momentum in New Hampshire, he still trails former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the state’s Republican primary race, according to a Suffolk University poll.

Released on Dec. 14, the poll put Romney in the lead with 38 percent of the vote. Gingrich was a distant second with 20 percent of the vote. Jon Huntsman surged into third place with 13 percent of the vote, and Ron Paul came in fourth with 8 percent. All other candidates finished in the low single digits.

But Romney’s lead appears to be shrinking. Gingrich picked up six percentage points from the previous month to narrow Romney’s lead from 27 points in mid November to just 18 points in mid December.

Huntsman’s surge also is notable. The Utah governor, who recently participated in a one-on-one debate with Gingrich, scored his highest overall numbers in New Hampshire this year and polled second among independents.