Romney, Bachmann in statistical tie in the Des Moines Register's first poll of Iowa Republicans

The caucus season is upon us.

The first Des Moines Register poll of registered Iowa Republicans gives former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney a one point lead over Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann.

The poll gives Romney 23 percent  to Bachmann's 22 percent.. Businessman Herman Cain comes in third, with 10 percent. Rep. Ron Paul and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich- the unraveling of whose campaign in Iowa has been a national news story- are tied for fourth with seven percent. Next comes former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlently with six, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum with four, and former Utah Governor and U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman with two. For some reason, the poll omitted Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who is expected to enter the race and to be a major player on the party's Right.

I was called by the poll, but didn't answer my phone quickly enough. I got the questions on my voicemail. If I had been quicker on the draw, I would probably have voted for Pawlenty, though I haven't ruled out Romney or Huntsman yet. These three are generally regarded as the Republicans' strongest potential nominees against President Obama.

The strong showings by Bachmann and Paul reflect the tendency of many in the Iowa Republican party to be outside the national political mainstream . The nomination of either would enable President Obama to try to deflect attention from the condition of the economy make the extremism of his opponent, and would likely guarantee Mr. Obama's re-election.

Fortunately, Paul has no chance of being nominated. The articulate and charismatic Bachmann, on the other hand, is a another matter.

Cain's strong showing is interesting. The pizza mogul and Federal Reserve Board official,  an African-American, seems to have gained a great deal of traction in Iowa despite his total lack of experience in elective government. Of course, President Obama had only a brief career in the Illinois legislature and less than one term in the U.S. Senate when he was elected in 2008.

The Iowa Caucuses are scheduled for the evening of February 6.

HT: Drudge