Bachmann's Shooting Star Is Burning Out

Bachmann's poll numbers have dropped in half since winning Ames
By Mark Russell,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 7, 2011 5:44 AM CDT
Can Michele Bachmann Stop Plummeting Support?
Michele Bachmann's support has plummeted, just one month after winning the Ames Straw Poll.   (Getty Images)

A month ago, Michele Bachmann won the Ames Straw Poll and was a leading candidate in the GOP's nomination process. Today, her support has plunged in half, her campaign manager has quit, and she's struggling to keep her name alive in a contest increasingly all about Rick Perry and Mitt Romney, writes Chris Cillizza for the Washington Post. Bachmann's poll numbers have fallen to 6% from 13% in the latest Washington Post/ABC survey of Republican primary voters, and to 8% from 16% in the Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, suggesting her brief ascendance could be over already.

Even among Tea Party supporters, Bachmann is now fourth with just 7%, behind Perry's 45% support, Romney's 18%, and Ron Paul's 10%. Bachmann also performed poorly on economic issues and on her perceived electability versus President Obama. Of course, with 152 days until primary voting begins, Cillizza notes that there's still plenty of time for Bachmann to recover (and slip again, and recover again), but for now her numbers add up to a campaign in crisis. (More Michele Bachmann stories.)

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