Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), the national Tea Party star who has been traveling to Iowa and eyeing a possible run for president, is now making her way to another key early state: South Carolina.
Bachmann will visit the state on February 19, speaking in Columbia at a lunch meeting of the South Carolina Federation of Republican Women, and in Spartanburg at a reception and dinner by the Spartanburg County GOP.
The Spartanburg Herald-Journal reports:
Bachmann spokesman Doug Sachtleben said the trip, in part, was aimed at “mobilizing the grassroots to be active in the process of selecting a new president.”
“She was invited to come speak,” Sachtleben said. “She’s been taking opportunities to speak to groups to make clear the point that in 2012 we need a new president. We need a president who believes in limited government within constitutional boundaries.”
Spartanburg County Republican chair LaDonna Briggs also told the paper: “She wants to see how well she plays in South Carolina. She’s obviously exploring the possibilities.”
It really is hard to tell just how serious Bachmann might be about a presidential race. A comment she made in January appeared to indicate that she might just be using the idea of a possible presidential bid as a means to keep her name in the press, and thus have a platform to advance her issues. On the other hand, her recent unauthorized State of the Union rebuttal suggests that she might really be serious about wanting to lead the GOP.
