N.H. poll: Mitt wins, Bachmann places

A Magellan poll commissioned by the website NH Journal shows Mitt Romney taking 42 percent of the vote in New Hampshire, with his nearest rivals — Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann — tied at 10 percent each. The rest of the field is in single digits.

There are signs, though, that Bachmann has growth potential:

Advertisement [T]he most surprising numbers emerged when we asked which candidates had the strongest debate performance ... Thirty-nine percent said Romney gave the strongest performance. But an impressive 28% said Bachmann did. No other candidate finished in double-digits. Among self-identified conservatives who watched the debate, Bachmann performed even better. Among this group, 37% said Romney had the strongest performance, while 33% said Bachmann.

Less promising:

Gingrich faces long odds barring a major turnaround. Sixty-two percent view the former Speaker of the U.S. House unfavorably versus 29% who view him favorably. However, the favorability numbers for the little-known Huntsman are particularly alarming. Only 14% of Republicans view him favorably. More than twice that number – 36% – have an unfavorable view. Among self-identified conservatives Huntsman is in even worse shape. Only 11% of them have a favorable view of Huntsman versus 41% who have an unfavorable view.

It should be noted that NH Journal is the brainchild of a group of political consultants, some of whom are not disinterested observers in 2012. But none of them, last I checked, were working for Romney.