Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann make her presidential candidacy official June 27, in Waterloo, Iowa, where she lived until she was 12, the Associated Press' Thomas Beaumont reports. Bachmann announced she'd filed the required paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission during the Republican primary debate in New Hampshire this month. Bachmann's strong performance during that debate has led to a flurry of commentary that her campaign must be taken more seriously, and Public Policy Polling's latest results seems to confirm that. The Democratic-leaning firm tweets, "Our first 2 post debate GOP polls- in Montana and Florida- suggest Bachmann has vaulted into 'top alternative to Mitt' [Romney] status." A national poll by Rasmussen had similar results last week.
 

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Elspeth Reeve