ROCK HILL, S.C. – After her victory in the Ames, Iowa, straw poll last August, Michele Bachmann went from front-runner to back-in-the-packer faster than any candidate in this volatile political season. First Rick Perry, then Herman Cain, and now Newt Gingrich have risen to challenge establishment choice Mitt Romney, while Bachmann’s support has been stuck in the single digits, not only here in South Carolina but in Iowa, New Hampshire and across the country.

But now there’s something happening with the Bachmann campaign. It’s not a boom, not even a boomlet. But many Republican voters are recognizing Bachmann’s sheer determination and tenacity. They’ve seen her take a lot of hits and keep going. They’ve seen her make mistakes and correct them. And as conservatives, especially social conservatives, look for a candidate to support against Romney, some are giving Bachmann a second look.