Results from the latest Public Policy Polling (a Democratic firm) poll of GOP voters in Iowa: Rick Perry (22 percent), Mitt Romney (19 percent), Michele Bachmann (18 percent), Ron Paul (16 percent), Herman Cain (7 percent), Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich (5 percent), and Jon Huntsman (3 percent).
What happens if Sarah Palin is an option? Then the results are: Perry (21 percent), Romney (18 percent), Bachmann (15 percent), Paul (12 percent), and Palin (10 percent).
It’s interesting that Bachmann won at Ames, but is in third place — although the poll’s margin of error is 5.5 percentage points, so both Perry’s and Romney’s leads over Bachmann are within that range. A problem for Bachmann could be the surge in her unfavorability numbers. In June, 16 percent of Iowa Republican voters had an unfavorable view of her. Now 35 percent do. (Forty-seven percent hold a favorable view of her.) That puts her about a few points behind Romney (viewed unfavorably by 38 percent) and about on par with Palin (36 percent). In contrast, Perry’s unfavorable rating is 24 percent. Of course, he’s new to the race, so those numbers may change.
Bachmann, however, has increased her support since June, when she polled at 11 percent in Iowa. Paul, who lost to Bachmann at Ames by about 150 votes, also has had a jump in support, going from 8 percent to 16 percent.
One last important take-away: Jon Huntsman now has more than one supporter in Iowa.