Michele Bachmann kicked off her presidential campaign in the town where she was born, Waterloo, Iowa. “We can win in 2012 and we will win!” she exclaimed.

Bachmann got some good news in the latest Des Moines Register poll that found her nearly tied with Mitt Romney for the top choice among Iowa Republicans.

The straw poll is the most prominent event in the campaign before the Iowa caucuses in February; Mrs Bachmann now has five full months to raise money off the back of her success.