The Hill News

A new poll of Iowa Republicans released Sunday night suggested that Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) enjoys momentum in the race to win the state's caucuses.

Twenty-five percent of likely Republican caucusgoers said they would support Bachmann, the Tea Party favorite, as the GOP presidential nominee, surpassing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R).

Romney and Bachmann were virtually tied, at 23-22 percent, respectively, in a mid-June edition of the Iowa Poll, published by the Des Moines Register. This new pol! l, conducted at the end of June for The Iowa Republican, suggests movement in favor of Bachmann, though it might not capture the immediate state of the race.

It underscores the boomlet, though, that the Minnesota congresswoman has enjoyed in Iowa since making a late entry into the field in June. She's enjoyed particular success in Iowa, where she looks like a frontrunner, since Romney is unlikely to compete in the state, and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) struggles to gain traction.

Pawlenty's difficulty gaining momentum prompted him to openly question Bachmann's qualifications on Sunday, calling her legislative record "non-existent." He placed third in the poll, ! at nine percent, tied with former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman! Cain. < br />
The poll, conducted by Voter/Consumer Research, a polling firm run by former President George W. Bush's pollster in Iowa, was conducted June 26-30, has a 4.4 percent margin of error.