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Bachmann Iowa

December 31, 2011 by · Comments Off on Bachmann Iowa 

Bachmann IowaBachmann Iowa, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum is not impressed with rival candidate Michele Bachmann’s cross state tour of Iowa. The Minnesota congresswoman launched a bus tour in mid-December and plans to make campaign stops in all of Iowa’s 99 counties.

Mr. Santorum has already stopped in all of Iowa’s 99 counties and defines his tour as “courtship,” while he argues that Ms. Bachmann is simply making quick stops without any real substance behind them.

“I respect the fact that she’s trying to get around, but we did a courtship, we didn’t speed date,” Mr. Santorum posited to reporters in Dubuque, Iowa, according to ABC News.

“We went out and talked to folks and had coffee with folks and sat with them and answered their questions. We spent, what, an hour and 20 minutes here. You know, we didn’t sort of run in and say, Hi, I’m great, vote for me. I don’t think that’s what Iowans are looking for,” the former Pennsylvania senator added.

The Des Moines Register reported Tuesday that the Minnesota congresswoman had 10 scheduled events, and was running late to all of them, forcing her to make shorter-than-expected appearances.

A CNN/Time poll released Wednesday showed that Mr. Santorum efforts in Iowa are paying off, as he surged past former House Speaker Newt Gingrich into third place among registered Republican voters in Iowa.

Ms. Bachmann finished near the bottom of the race with just 9 percent of the votes in the same poll.

The Minnesota congresswoman has not responded to Mr. Santorum’s speed dating accusations. However, Ms. Bachmann was critical of her former Iowa co-chairman, Kent Sorenson, who switched his support to Texas congressman Ron Paul Wednesday, citing Ms. Bachmann’s low chances of winning the Iowa caucuses.

After winning the Iowa Ames straw poll in August, Ms. Bachmann quickly in popularity both in Iowa and nationwide. In recent months, she and Mr. Santorum polled near the bottom of the race.

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