Bachmann's Lead Nearly Gone: Poll

Michele Bachmann may be right about a political storm coming, but it's apparently headed her way. The Minnesota congresswoman is leading Democratic rival Jim Graves by only 2 points after support among independents dropped from +15% to -4%, according to a new poll commissioned by Graves and Salon. What's more, her overall "negative" numbers are bad, with 57% giving her a negative job rating and 35% calling it "poor"—the lowest possible rating, Salon reports.

The lack of a third-party candidate to siphon off votes may be helping Graves, but his name is known to fewer voters—just 38%, compared to 99% for Bachmann. Still, Graves' team argues that he's winning over the voters who do get to know him. Another potential bummer for Bachmann: She has probably commissioned her own surveys, Salon notes, but the fact that she won't release them implies that the news is none too good. (More Michele Bachmann 2012 stories.)