At Monday’s GOP debate in New Hampshire, Michele Bachmann showed she could be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming primary. As Dan Balz reported :
The strong performance by Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) — the only other clear winner Monday night — complicates Tim Pawlenty’s situation in Iowa.
Bachmann showed stage presence and a flair for attracting attention to herself. She lacks the experience of Pawlenty, a two-term former governor, but she could become a real force in Iowa, the state Pawlenty knows he must win to be Romney’s chief challenger next year.
Bachmann’s debate performance was just that, a good showing in a single event. For her, the question is what she does with it. She has shown in recent weeks that she is serious about trying to run a good campaign, but so much depends on how she handles herself. Herman Cain learned Monday night that one good debate, which he had in South Carolina, doesn’t begat a second. Bachmann has raised expectations for herself and now has to meet them or risk falling back.
Monday’s debate also highlighted more clearly the choices that face two prospective candidates, Sarah Palin and Texas Gov. Rick Perry. No one can predict what kind of staying power Bachmann might have, but her emergence as the likely favorite of many tea party voters and social conservatives could accelerate Palin’s timetable.
She and Palin are now on a collision course, unless the former Alaska governor and vice presidential nominee has no real interest in running. But if Palin is truly thinking about joining the race, she might need to announce it earlier than late August. Her next bus tour becomes all the more interesting.
Bachmann will attempt to ride the strong positive reactions to her debate performance and make a lasting impact on the Republican primary. As Amy Gardner and Sandhya Somashekhar explained:
Rep. Michele Bachmann enjoyed a day of lucrative fundraising, national media exposure and glowing analysis of her newfound momentum on Tuesday, following a strong performance in her first presidential debate.
She also forced her competitors to assess how she might affect their own paths to the Republican nomination.
Rep. Michele Bachmann enjoyed a day of lucrative fundraising, national media exposure and glowing analysis of her newfound momentum on Tuesday, following a strong performance in her first presidential debate.
She also forced her competitors to assess how she might affect their own paths to the Republican nomination.
“She did a great job of weaving in her experiences as a foster mother, a congresswoman and an attorney,” said GOP strategist Ron Bonjean, who is not affiliated with any contender. “The other candidates are now forced to personalize their stories more. I think this is just surprising — how well she did — and that was really noticed.”
Since she first floated the idea of running for president, Bachmann has been lumped in with some of the more fringe characters in the contest, in part the result of her short time on the national stage and her uncompromising views.
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