Poll: Bachmann, Pawlenty close – and behind – in Iowa

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann are running neck and neck in Iowa in the early part of the race for the GOP 2012 presidential nomination, according to the latest Public Policy Polling survey.

The main problem for both of them is they’re running neck and neck for last and second-to-last place, respectively.

According to the survey, Pawlenty garnered 5 percent support among those Republicans surveyed, while Bachmann saw her 6 percent total matched by U.S. Rep. Ron Paul. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was the clear favorite in this poll, PPP noted in its analysis, as he saw 27 percent support. The next closest candidate was 16 percent for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney who was followed by Donald Trump at 14 percent.

Two interesting notes in trying to read the tea leaves of what a Bachmann or Pawlenty coalition might look like ahead of the Iowa caucuses: PPP says that if evangelical darling Huckabee is removed from the race, both Bachmann and Pawlenty benefit by a few percentage points. However, If former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is removed too, Bachmann’s support jumps to 15 percent. Even under both scenarios, Pawlenty’s support remains at 9 percent.