A national poll conducted by Rasmussen shows Michele Bachmann leading the pack chasing Mitt Romney for the front-runner slot in the GOP primary race. That said, Bachmann is trailing Romney by a sobering 14 points. She's drawing 19 percent support from voters compared to Romney's 33 percent in the wake of the first Republican debate. Pundits were surprised by Bachmann's strong showing on Monday--Chris Cillizza said, "Bachmann dominated the stage with quotable lines galore and an audience hanging on her every word." The Penguin Group apparently rewarded her Thursday with a book deal, catching her up with her fellow candidates, many of whom already have books of their own. Bachmann and Romney are tied with 26 percent for support from Tea Partiers. 

With 10 percent, Herman Cain came in third followed by Newt Gingrich (9 percent), Ron Paul (7 percent) and a Tim Pawlenty-Rick Santorum tie (6 percent). Jon Huntsman, who's been impressing few in Iowa, only garnered 2 percent support.

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Adam Clark Estes