This is good 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 caucus-goers 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 poll, 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 there, where she appears to be front-runner, since Romney is unlikely to compete in the state, and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) is struggling to gain traction.

Romney not to compete in Iowa? So he is trying Rudy’s winning strategy of betting the farm on winning a few big states? Good. I despise Mittens, and will only vote for him if he is the only alternative to Obama (sort of like my vote for John McCain, come to think of it). I like Bachmann’s positions on everything, and she has the allure of being the First Woman President to compete with Obama’s melanin advantage. I don’t know that she can take the whole thing, but if she takes Iowa away from Mittens, that is a good start.