Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., on Thursday took a baby step toward officially declaring her candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination.
"The announcement will be made in Iowa, and it will be made in Waterloo, and we'll give you the date and the time," Bachmann said on a conference call to reporters in Des Moines, Iowa, where she was slated to headline a Polk County GOP event but canceled at the last minute in order remain in Washington to vote on an extension of the PATRIOT Act.
Though Bachmann reiterated that the announcement would come "in June"—a timetable she's stated time and time again—the real development is that the presumed kickoff will take place in Waterloo, Iowa, where she was born. A hero of the tea party movement, Bachmann is expected to tout her Iowa roots in the first-in-the-nation caucus state, particularly in the wake of evangelical favorite Mike Huckabee's departure from the race.
But Bachmann's camp warns that a White House bid from the congresswoman is not a done deal.
"She said plans are going forward and making progress, but she's not at 'yes' yet," Bachmann spokesman Doug Sachtleben told National Journal on Thursday night. Sources close to the campaign say Bachmann is waiting to polish off her preparations, including several major hires for her strategy team, before officially tossing her hat into the ring.
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