Earning 4,823 votes, Michele Bachmann has officially been announced the winner of Iowa’s Ames Straw Poll. This gives her a boost as the GOP campaign kicks into high gear; the winning candidate has historically always come in first or second place at the Straw Poll. Ron Paul came in second with 4,671 votes. Tim Pawlenty came a distant third after focusing on Iowa intensely for months and may now face questions about whether he can continue in the race. [Fix/WP]
