Ames, IowaMichele Bachmann scored a victory today at the Ames straw poll that seemed to confirm her position as the front-runner in Iowa. But just how deep does support for the Minnesota congresswoman run? While Bachmann certainly has a reputation for drawing intense and loyal support from Tea Partiers and evangelicals in Iowa, almost all of the Bachmann supporters I spoke to today in Ames said they weren't certain to support her in the Iowa caucuses.
"I appreciate her fundamental values for the American family," said Bachmann voter Drew Claassen, a twenty-something from Ames. "I'm waiting for Sarah Palin to jump in the race," he continued, saying the Alaska governor would be his first choice.
"She's not my final choice, she's my present choice," Iowa Republican Roger Peterson told me. He said he'd wants to see the field develops before February.
"I liked what she had to say about partial birth abortion and marriage is between one man and one woman. She's right on," said Bachmann voter Wilma Hague, a senior citizen from Waukee whose second choice was Tim Pawlenty. But will she support Bachmann in February? "I have no idea. It's a long time yet. It's just beginning."
"I was kind of going for Pawlenty. I like him because I think he's got a lot of know-how, but I think [Bachmann's] got a stronger values system," said Betty from Badger, Iowa. "I just liked her Christian values. She brought in the idea of marriage--she was the only one wasn't she?" (Rick Santorum mentioned the issue of marriage during his speech, too)
"I like how she delivers," said Etta Dorrell of Des Moines. "At the point," Dorrell said, her commitment to Bachmann is "strong, but whether that lasts, I don't know."
"We've liked Michele about as long as MSNBC has been knocking her. So we figured, okay she's got something going for her because they really hate her," said Judy Taylor of Spencer of Iowa. "I do like Rick Perry a lot," she added, but she'd "have to know more about him."
Martin Pearson from Sauk City said he voted for Bachmann because he liked "the way she talked. I liked what she said." Pearson said it's possible he'd support Rick Perry at the caucuses. "I'd like to know more about him," said Pearson.