NEW YORK—Michele Bachmann officially announced her run for the 2012 presidential campaign at her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, Monday morning.
Waterloo is the location of the crucial first primary to take place next February, the Iowa caucus, that often makes or breaks the momentum behind a candidate’s campaign. Bachmann made her announcement in front of Snowden House, the former Waterloo Women’s Club.
Bachmann first announced her plan two weeks ago during CNN’s GOP debate, “I filed today my paperwork to seek the presidency of the United States.” This publicity gave her an early start in recognition.
In her speech, she spoke of traditional Iowan values and how they are embedded in her core: not spending more than what you make, the American dream of purchasing a home, and not depending on the government, but on God during hard times.
A poll released over the weekend by the Des Moines Register puts Bachmann in a statistical tie with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is regarded as the leader of the pack of Republican candidates seeking the White House in 2012.
The Iowa caucus has been a strong indicator of political success in primaries of past years.
“Since 1972, no candidate that has finished worse than third in Iowa has gone on to win a major party presidential nomination,” according to the University of Iowa. “In 2000 and in 2004, the Iowa winners (Al Gore and George W. Bush in 2000 and John Kerry and incumbent George W. Bush in 2004) won their party’s nominations.”
In 2008, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won the Iowa caucus, throwing the Republican primary in disarray by undercutting those who were thought to lead the Republican field at that time. Ultimately, Huckabee would siphon votes away from Romney and lead to Sen. John McCain eventually getting the Republican nomination.
Bachmann also spoke of repealing President Barack Obama’s health care reform legislation, and countering what she called Obama’s “foreign policy that leads from behind and doesn’t stand up for our friends and stand up to our enemies,” though she did not offer specifics in her speech on this.
“Five decades ago ... national debt was less than $300 billion dollars. A gallon of gasoline was 31 cents, and owning a home was part of living the American dream. Today our debt is over $14 trillion dollars … millions of homes are in foreclosure,” she said.
Bachmann came on strong against what she referred to as Washington’s spending problem, and said more than once, “Obama will be a one term president.”
Bachmann quoted Obama from an NBC interview in February 2009: “A year from now, I think people are going to see that we’re starting to make some economic progress. If I don’t have this done in three years, then there’s going to be a one-term proposition.”
“Well Mr. President, your policies haven’t worked. Spending our way out of this recession hasn’t worked,” she said.
Bachmann also stressed the spirit of working together as a traditional American value—what made America great and how we can make it great again.
She said, “There is much more that unites us than divides us. Our problems don’t have an identity of party, they are problems created by both parties. ... Together we can make a team that can’t be beat!”
Bachmann is considered a Tea Party favorite, forming the first Tea Party caucus. She has served in Congress since 2006. She was a state legislator before she was elected to Congress.
Evan Mantyk contributed to this article
