Looks like Michele Bachmann has prevailed in the Ames straw poll, an early though not necessarily determinative assessment of each campaign’s organizational abilities.

Here’s the initial breakdown: Bachmann 28.55%, Paul 27.65%, Pawlenty 13.57%.

No surprise that Ron Paul did so well. And no surprise to anyone who’s been following the Iowa race closely that Bachmann won — but step back for a minute and consider how mind-blowing it would have been even six months ago, let alone a year or two back, to think of Michele Bachmann as a major contender for the GOP nomination, arguably the frontrunner now in Iowa. It truly boggles.

David Kurtz

David Kurtz is Managing Editor and Washington Bureau Chief of Talking Points Memo where he oversees the news operations of TPM and its sister sites.