In what pundits dubbed the biggest weekend for the 2012 campaign so far, Rep. Michele Bachmann took first prize at the Ames, Iowa, straw poll, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty bowed out after coming in third, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry officially entered the race as a top-tier candidate. Pawlenty's departure was the only real surprise since few political strategists expected it to come so early, and the weekend served mainly to solidify what primary season will look like.
Here are five things the events revealed about the Republican race:
1. Michele Bachmann is a credible candidate. Her far-right views, extreme religious and social conservatism, and very public bungling of American history made her critics question whether the Minnesota Republican congresswoman had staying power in a presidential election. But her poll numbers crept up as she struck a chord with conservative voters, causing pundits to take a second look.
Before Ames, the biggest question about Bachmann was whether her campaign had the organizational chops to pull off a good result. To succeed in Ames, candidates had to find and inspire supporters from around the state to actually attend the fair and vote. Her win showed she could do that. "It did cement Bachmann's standing in the top tier of candidates," says Republican strategist Jon McHenry, whose firm polls for former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman's presidential campaign. "Whether that lasts beyond the Iowa caucuses remains to be seen, but you can't just dismiss her out of hand at this point."
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