Michele Bachmann Gaining in Polls

Quinnipiac now has Michele Bachmann solidly in second place in a new national poll with 14 percent of the vote, more than doubling her showing in their last poll. Mitt Romney still leads the pack with 25 percent.
The danger for Romney is, of course, that he is a thoroughly known quantity. People around the country are just getting to know Bachmann and she is telegenic and smart and charismatic. Look for her numbers to continue to rise. Additionally, the Quinnipiac poll has Sarah Palin in third with 12 percent of the vote and Rick Perry in fourth with ten percent. But, it is far from clear either Palin or Perry will decide to run, and it is far from certain their supporters would tend towards Romney.
Increasingly, it looks like Romney's best hope is that Palin or Perry does enter the race, splitting the anti-Romney vote. Otherwise, Romney is in for a tough road.