ST. PAUL — New York retiree Phyllis Hornung has never been to Minnesota and has no ties to the state — other than the steady stream of campaign donations she sends to Michele Bachmann.

Almost every other month last year, Hornung sent the conservative Republican congresswoman a check for $25, or sometimes $75.

“She captured my heart immediately,” said Hornung, a former commercial real estate broker who recalls first seeing Bachmann two years ago on television — an appearance that prompted her to make a small contribution online. “There was no question in my mind that she was a straight talker and I should support her.”

In May, 41 percent of Republicans held a favorable view of the Minnesota congresswoman. That percentage rose to 54 percent in the new survey. Among supporters of the Tea Party movement, her favorability climbed from 48 percent to 57 percent.