Bachmann wins at Ames

The Ames Straw Poll was held today at the Iowa State Fair in Ames, Iowa. While the Straw Poll doesn't always accurately predict the victor in the Iowa caucus, or the eventual GOP presidential nominee, it is the first big test for most campaigns, and poor finishes tend to cause some candidates to pull out of the running (this is especially true for second- or third-tier candidates).

So, without further ado, here are the results.

2011 Straw Poll Full Results (courtesy of the Iowa GOP)

1. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (4823, 28.55%)
2. Congressman Ron Paul (4671, 27.65%)
3. Governor Tim Pawlenty (2293, 13.57%)
4. Senator Rick Santorum (1657, 9.81%)
5. Herman Cain (1456, 8.62%)
6. Governor Rick Perry (718, 3.62%) write-in
7. Governor Mitt Romney (567, 3.36%)
8. Speaker Newt Gingrich (385, 2.28%)
9. Governor Jon Huntsman (69, 0.41%)
10. Congressman Thad McCotter (35, 0.21%)
    Miscellaneous (162, 0.96 %) Includes all those receiving votes at less than 1% that were not on the ballot.

Romney, Gingrich and Huntsman skipped the Straw Poll, and thus their numbers were expected to be low in the first place. Rick Perry only announced his candidacy today, and thus was not included on the actual ballot; his votes came as write-ins.

Adam Graham at Race42012.com has a must-read summary on the winners and losers, which I completely agree with. This probably dealt a major blow to the Pawlenty, Santorum and Cain campaigns, but I think especially so to Pawlenty, who had so much resting on a good finish at Ames.

Don't be surprised if a few of these candidates begin to drop out.