A new poll conducted by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic polling organization, shows Minnesota’s Michele Bachmann leading
the GOP field in Oregon and Montana when Sarah Palin’s name isn’t included.
In Oregon, Bachmann holds a narrow 29% to 28% lead over presumptive Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney, with 10% favoring Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who’s waging his third campaign for the presidency. Everybody else polled in single digits.
In Montana, the three-term Minnesota congresswoman holds a 25% to 22% lead over Romney, with 11% opting for former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, whose cash-starved campaign has teetered on the verge of collapse in recent weeks, and 10% stating a preference for the 75-year-old Paul.
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who officially entered the race last Tuesday, polled a woeful 4 percent in Montana and 2 percent in Oregon. With Palin in the picture, Huntsman’s support remains steady in Montana, but drops to 0% in Oregon.
Interestingly, Bachmann continues to run strong when Palin’s name is added to the mix, polling 18% in Oregon — two points ahead of the former Alaska governor — and an identical 18% in Montana. When included, Palin narrowly leads the entire Republican field in Montana with 20%. With Bachmann and Palin both in the race, Romney trails in third place with a 17% share of the vote.
With Palin’s name included in the surveys, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney holds a 10-point lead in Oregon and trails by only three percentage points in traditionally conservative Montana.
“There’s an argument that Palin’s entry is the best possible thing that could happen to Romney’s prospects over the next few months,” said a spokesman for Public Policy Polling.
The survey of 382 likely Republicans primary voters in Montana was conducted June 16-19, while the Oregon poll of 262 likely Republican voters was taken June 19-21.
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