Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann arrived in New Hampshire Friday for a two day visit. The trip renewed speculation that the chairwoman of the House Tea Party Caucus will run for president.
CNN reported Friday that sources close to Bachmann expect her to run.
An unnamed source close to the congresswoman told CNN, “She is leaning more toward doing it. The people she’s meeting on the ground, they love her. She is definitely more encouraged when she makes these trips.”
Andy Parrish, Bachmann’s chief of staff, told CNN that she is seriously considering running. Parrish said, “If the congresswoman decides to do run, she is going to do it her way, and her way has never been the establishment way.”
CNN reported that Parrish and Ed Brookover, Bachmann’s media consultant, have been calling Republican state officials in the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
“If she runs, you will see a grassroots campaign that looks like none you’ve ever seen before. It will make Barack Obama’s effort pale in comparison,” CNN’s unnamed source said, adding that Bachmann has received a flood of resumes form former Palin aides.
Ryan Rhodes, chairman of the Iowa Tea Party, told CNN, “She is seriously considering running and getting a full team lined up and making sure it’s the right one. It will be different than everyone else. She will have a very good team behind her if she does decide to run.”
Iowa Republican state Sen. Kent Sorenson told CNN that he would support Bachmann’s candidacy. “I hope she decides to run. She is somebody that has the credentials to fire up the grassroots,” Sorenson said. “She would be someone who could unite different factions of the party. She is a strong fiscal and social conservative.”
CNN noted that Bachmann was born in Iowa and is close with Rep. Steve King, who represents conservative western Iowa.