U.S. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann on Monday night said on the first Republican primary debate she had filed paperwork to run for president.

"I filed today my paperwork to seek the office of the presidency of the United States today and I'll very soon be making my formal announcement," she said.

In an email message to journalists immediately after the announcement, her campaign said the "country needs a leader who understands the hardships that people across America have been facing over the past few years, and who will do what it takes to renew the American dream."

The campaign filed official candidacy paperwork Monday afternoon, and is gearing up for a campaign announcement tour in the coming weeks in Iowa.

With the filing, Bachmann, a Representative from Minnesota, suspended her Congressional campaign and is no longer actively seeking re-election in Minnesota's 6th Congressional District.

Bachmann, a favorite of the Tea Party movement, joins a muddled GOP field which includes front runner Mitt Romney, former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich, Texas Congressman Ron Paul, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and Business executive Herman Cain. All of them are on stage of the debate held at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Former Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman is also expected to announce his bid for president later this month. Also flirting with the idea to run is former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, who ran in the 2008 U.S. presidential elections as Republican John McCain's running mate.

Go to Forum >>0 Comments