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Texas Gov. Rick Perry has taken the lead in the early caucus state of Iowa, according to a new poll from Public Policy Polling (D).

Perry, who entered the race Aug. 13 in South Carolina, garners 21 percent support. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney comes in at 18 percent, and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, who won the Ames Straw Poll on the same day Perry announced his bid, rounds out the top three with 15 percent. Texas Rep. Ron Paul attracts 12 percent support from likely caucus-goers, a five-point increase since a June PPP poll. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin finishes fifth with 10 percent. None of the remaining candidates breaks double digits.

Speculation over whether Palin will enter the fray has increased since her visit to the Iowa State Fair earlier this month. She is scheduled to headline a Tea Party rally in Indianola on Sept. 3. If she joins the field, she will pull slightly from Bachmann and Paul supporters but have virtually no impact on Perry and Romney, according to the results of the survey. Though her media presence has increased in recent weeks, her net favorability rating has dropped 12 points since June to plus 16.

In various head-to-head pairings between those currently at the top of the poll, Perry maintains an edge over his GOP rivals. In a three-way matchup, he leads Romney, 34 percent to 28 percent, while Bachmann attracts 24 percent. When paired against Romney only, he holds an 18-point lead and against Bachmann only, he leads by 24 points. The Minnesota congresswoman edges Romney by two points.

Bachmann hasn’t gained much momentum since the June survey, and her net favorability rating has taken a sharp dive in the past two months despite her win in Ames. In June, she attracted a positive net of 37. Now, her favorability rating is positive 12. Perry’s favorability rating has surged to a positive 32 points since June. Paul has the second highest favorability rating with a positive 24 percent.

Bachmann is competing hard for Tea Party votes in the Hawkeye State, where 33 percent of Republican voters identify with the movement. Still, Perry leads her by 10 points among this group, attracting 32 percent support. Paul comes in third with 19 percent. Among those who don’t identify with the Tea Party, Romney leads  by 14 points.

Perry’s comments questioning evolution and global warming last week appear to have attracted support in Iowa, where 48 percent of Republicans say they don’t believe in evolution and 66 percent are skeptical of global warming. The Texas governor leads his rivals among these voters.

For this poll, PPP surveyed 317 usual Iowa Republican primary voters from Aug. 19-21. The margin of error for this poll is plus or minus 5.5 percent.