Bachmann vaults to second place in New Hampshire poll

By Michael O'Brien - 06/28/11 11:33 PM ET

Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-Minn.) newfound political momentum isn't limited to Iowa, a new poll showed late Tuesday night.

Bachmann, the newly-minted presidential candidate, gained ground since a May Suffolk University poll, catapulting into the (distantly) second place position among Republicans of New Hampshire, according to a new edition of the poll.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) leads Republican presidential contenders among the Granite State's likely GOP voters, drawing the support of 36 percent of them.

Bachmann is the only candidate other than Romney in double digits; 11 percent of New Hampshire Republicans said they support the three-term congresswoman as the nominee, up from 3 percent in early May.

The poll was conducted over the weekend, just as Bachmann was preparing her formal announcement on Monday in Iowa. A poll by the Des Moines Register showed Bachmann at second place in the state, at 22 percent to Romney's 23 percent.

It suggests the momentum that Bachmann's enjoyed since announcing her candidacy, and stealing the limelight, at this month's New Hampshire presidential debate has translated to the nation's first-in-the-nation primary state. Romney's still in command, but the two polls combined could afford Bachmann an opportunity to emerge as the primary anti-Romney voice in the race.

That would be especially disconcerting for Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), who's jockeyed to become the top Romney alternative, but passed on a shot at the frontrunner at the GOP debate. Pawlenty was the choice of just two percent of Republican voters in the poll, down from three percent in the last poll. While he's focused more on Iowa, he's also made a decent number of stops in New Hampshire.

Rounding out the poll are Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) at eight percent, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) at five percent, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) and former Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman (R) at four percent, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) and pizza mogul Herman Cain at two percent.

Twenty-one percent are undecided. The poll, conducted June 25-27, has a 4.9 percent margin of error.