Bachmann will spend weekend in Iowa
Republican 2012 candidate and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn) will kick off her bus tour tomorrow in Iowa City, then travel westward through the state for the holiday weekend, her campaign announced Thursday.
Bachmann’s tour will be a series of meet and greets scheduled to start at 8 a.m. Saturday at Iowa City’s Bluebird Diner. The bus tour will also make stops in Marshalltown (1 p.m., Taylor’s Maid Rite) and Des Moines (5 p.m., Iowa Capitol) Saturday, where she is expected to make an appearance on the tail-end of Iowa Tea Party’s bus tour.
Sunday, stops include a 12:30 p.m. visit to the Carroll Pizza Ranch and a 4 p.m. visit to the Wells Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor in Le Mars. The Congresswoman will spend the Monday holiday in Clear Lake, where she will participate in the community’s July 4th Parade.
Not listed on the press release is a Sunday morning trip to Point of Grace Church in the Des Moines suburb of Waukee. Point of Grace is a non-denominational Christian church; Bachmann identifies herself as an Evangelical Lutheran.
Mindy Clark, who works in Point of Grace’s office, confirmed the Congresswoman’s visit to the church Sunday. Clark said she was unaware of any agenda or politically charged statement that would be made to the congregation.
“I think she’s here to go to church and give a short message” to the congregation, Clark said.
This suburban church is no stranger to the political arena. Last year, church officials injected themselves into the judicial retention vote, siding with Conservative activist Bob Vander Plaats on “out of control” supreme court justices. It was also the site of Iowa’s Faith and Freedom Coalition event this past spring, which featured several GOP candidates and Iowan politicians.
Bachmann’s timing may be considered impeccable to some: a poll released by the Des Moines Register this week showed the tea party darling barely trailing frontrunner and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Neither candidate has done much campaigning in Iowa yet, though Bachmann has touted her native Waterloo roots to voters since the spring, long before she jumped in the race.
She also visited Waterloo Monday to kick off her campaign.
“It helps the poll was done shortly after the New Hampshire GOP primary debate” June 13, when Bachmann announced her candidacy, Dr. Tim Hagle, a University of Iowa political science professor, said. Hagle said Romney and Bachmann shined during the debate, which could attribute to their high ranking of first and second in the GOP poll, respectively.
The lone woman at the debate, “Bachmann made it clear she belonged on stage with the rest of them,” Hagle said.
