Romney, Bachmann top Iowa newspaper poll

Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann came out on top this weekend in one of the first major tests of the GOP presidential field in Iowa.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Romney received 23 percent in the Des Moines Register Iowa poll of likely GOP caucus-goers and Minnesota Rep. Bachmann virtually tied Romney with 22 percent.

Romney leads most national polls, so his showing in the first-in-the-nation caucus state is unsurprising (though Romney has indicated he won't make Iowa a top priority, via his decision to skip the straw poll this August). But Bachmann's results provide more evidence to suggest the congresswoman--a tea party star who just arrived on the scene-- is a major contender in the 2012 race.

Bachmann is set to announce her campaign today in Waterloo, Iowa--her birthplace. Among all Republican candidates, Bachmann received the highest favorable rating in the poll-- 65 percent.

In another potentially telling sign from the poll, former pizza mogul Herman Cain placed third with 10 percent. Cain remains virtually unknown nationwide but has gained rapid popularity among tea party conservatives.

The remaining presidential contenders received single-digit support in the June 19-22 poll.

The poll, like all surveys at this early stage in the race, is simply an early indicator, and much can change before the state's February 2012 caucus. Sixty-nine percent of respondents said they could still be persuaded to support someone other than their first choice.

(Photo of Romney campaigning for Bachmann's House race in 2008: Susan Walsh/AP)