Bachmann Plans Presidential Announcement in Iowa

Advisers say Bachmann inclined to run; congresswoman says she could still sit out 2012

Rep. Michele Bachmann speaks at the Tea Party Patriots “Continuing Revolution” rally on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 31, 2011.
(Photo credit: Kevin Lamarque / Reuters)

By Brian Bakst

May 27, 2011

DES MOINES, Iowa — Republican Michele Bachmann is making plans for a presidential campaign announcement next month in Waterloo, Iowa, the city where the Minnesota congresswoman was born.

Bachmann trickled out the details in a conference call with reporters Thursday night but said she could still reverse course and sit out the 2012 White House campaign.

Bachmann was supposed to speak in person at a GOP dinner in downtown Des Moines, but a vote in Washington turned the appearance into a video message. Hundreds of Republicans watched her via a blurry, choppy Internet feed, where she profusely apologized for her absence and offered a rain check. The feed briefly cut out but aides quickly dialed back in.

Bachmann went on to speak about fighting terrorism, defending America’s founding documents and opposing legislation to raise the federal debt ceiling.

The Minnesota congresswoman says she has staff lined up in the states that start the presidential nominating process: Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

She says strong fundraising and other indicators make her confident about making a run.

It was a bizarre scene for an almost-campaign announcement.

Reporters huddled around a Des Moines hotel podium where Bachmann spoke from Washington.

“The announcement will be made in Iowa, and it will be made in Waterloo,” Bachmann said, adding that her Iowa birthplace would give her “every advantage a girl would want to have.” …

If there’s any state where Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann could stir the Republican race for president, it’s Iowa.

Waterloo gives her a home-field advantage of sorts. The Tea Party, the GOP’s most energized segment, loves her. So do social conservatives, who cheer her forceful advocacy of gay marriage bans, abortion restrictions and home-school rights. …

“I don’t think it’s a matter of if she’s going to run, I think it’s when she’s going to announce,” said state Sen. Kent Sorenson, a Tea Party Republican who would take a lead role in a Bachmann campaign. “The people in Iowa are chomping at the bit and ready for her to jump in with both feet.” …

Full story

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Related report

Bachmann’s Debacle (Kevin Hall, The Iowa Republican, May 28, 2011) – “This is a disaster,” said one prominent Polk County Republican.  An elected official called it “an embarrassment.”  The embarrassing disaster was the result of Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann’s last minute cancellation of her appearance at the Polk County GOP’s Robb Kelley Dinner.  Bachmann’s absence turned what should have been a very successful fundraiser into a black eye for herself, her presidential aspirations and the county party. … Full story

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Related reports on this site

Bachmann Raises the Roof in Ohio (May 23, 2011)

Michele Bachmann: Eyes on the Prez (May 16, 2011)

Bachmann Running for President (March 24, 2011)

Michele Bachmann Eyes ‘Madam President’ (Sept. 9, 2009)

Michele Bachmann’s March of Folly (2009-2010)

Michele Bachmann Up-Close (2010-2011)

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: One Year Ago — May 28, 2010

North Korea Fraud Charge

Video frame grab shows the severed part of the Cheonan’s stern.

One year ago today, I reported that North Korea accused South Korea of faking the sinking of one of its own warships, the Cheonan, and warned that the Korean peninsula was edging ever closer to war.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: Two Years Ago — May 28, 2009

Tense Stand-Off With North Korea

South Korean marines at an anti-aircraft gun position.
(Photo credit: Byun Yeong-Wool / AFP — Getty Images)

Two years ago, on May 28, 2011, I reported that South Korean and U.S. troops raised their alert to the highest level since 2006 after North Korea renounced its truce with the allied forces and threatened to strike any ships trying to intercept its vessels. The move was a sign of heightened tensions on the peninsula following the North’s underground nuclear test and its firing of a series of short-range missiles earlier in the week.