Michele Bachmann's standing

Michele Bachmann may be controversial but for now she's also looking pretty safe for reelection.

53% of Bachmann's constituents approve of the job she's doing in Congress to 41% who disapprove. Her numbers certainly reflect her polarizing nature, with 86% of Republicans giving her good marks and 83% of Democrats saying they don't like her performance. But in a GOP leaning district and with a 51% approval from independents it all adds up to a pretty solid standing.

Tested against her potential 2010 opponents Bachmann leads Tarryl Clark 55-37 and Maureen Reed 53-37. The magnitude of those leads at this stage certainly has a lot to do with the Democrats' low name recognition, as 82% of voters don't know enough about Reed to have an opinion of her and 68% say the same of Clark. Bachmann's leads over them will probably get smaller as they become better known, but she is still over the 50% threshold considered safe for an incumbent.

Aiding Bachmann's standing is tepid feelings by voters in the district toward Democratic politicians. Barack Obama has only a 39% approval rating there after winning 45% of the vote in the district last year. He's popular compared to the Democrats in Congress- only 29% of voters have a favorable opinion of them and an equal 29% support the health care bill while 56% are opposed.

37% of voters in the district consider Bachmann's political views to be 'extremist' and 36% think she's too conservative, suggesting that the constituents who dislike her really dislike her, but most voters seem comfortable with her.

In what's shaping up to be a Republican year Bachmann's reelection looks pretty likely.

Full results here