WASHINGTON — Tea Party favorite Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) took first place in a national poll of Republican primary voters released Tuesday, besting former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney 21 percent to 20 percent.
Her slim lead in the Public Policy Polling national survey — within the poll’s 3.6 percentage point margin of error — marks the first time Bachmann has topped Romney in a major national poll.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has yet to make a decision about entering the race, finished in third place with 12 percent.
Pizza magnate Herman Cain took 11 percent, while nine percent went for Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and seven percent went for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah have yet to catch on with the public, despite their recent campaign pushes. Pawlenty took five percent and just three percent went for Huntsman, who was President Barack Obama’s ambassador to China.
Bachmann, 55, remains the favorite declared candidate for many conservatives, and has surged in numerous public opinion surveys. She is the current frontrunner in Iowa and has also cemented herself as the No. 2 in New Hampshire, behind Romney.
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