Tales from the Trail

From victory in the Iowa straw poll to lesser rival in the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, Michele Bachmann may be down but don’t count her out.

The Minnesota Representative is right on track on her “Path to Victory” that began with her win in Iowa, Team Bachmann Campaign Manager Keith Nahigian says in a video outlining the campaign strategy.

From Iowa, the campaign’s path to the nomination winds through New Hampshire and South Carolina, the crucial early states in the presidential primary races.

A Tea Party conservative, Bachmann has seen her support sliding since Texas Governor Rick Perry (who also has Tea Party support) entered the Republican race and shot to the top of the polls.

On average, Bachmann has 7.5 percent support compared with 27.7 percent for Perry, the current front-runner in the Republican field, according to recent polls.

Right day. Wrong message.

As fans of  Elvis Presley were observing the 34th anniversary of  his death Monday, Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann joined those paying tribute to the late king of rock and roll.

At the start of a stump speech in  Spartanburg, South Carolina, the Minnesota congresswoman’s tribute message was just a tad off.

With the sound of Presley’s   “Promised Land”  drifting from the loudspeaker,  Bachmann gave Elvis a shout-out with a “happy birthday” greeting.

Newly-minted Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry (and his black campaign bus)  rolled into Waterloo Sunday, where the Texas governor made a  campaign pitch to Iowa voters.

Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann showed up at the same event. They weren’t on stage together but Perry ending up sharing the spotlight.

Perry spoke first at the Black Hawk County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner and acknowledged another Republican presidential hopeful in the room, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum .

Sexist, biased or just a bad editorial decision?

Whatever it is,  White House hopeful Michele Bachmann is not engaging in the debate  (at least publicly) over the appropriateness of a Newsweek cover photo of her that has generated a lot of buzz.

The only woman in the crowded field of candidates vying for the 2012   Republican presidential nomination, Bachmann has remained focused on her mission, stomping in  Iowa  ahead of  the state’s Republican Straw Poll on Saturday.  (She  announced more local endorsements on Tuesday.)

When the Minnesota Congresswoman and Tea Party star — whom even many of her opponents agree is photogenic — was asked about the controversial magazine cover on Monday, she simply said she had not seen it  and moved on.