The battle for the "Bible belt", one of the most crucial constituencies in the Republican White House race, will begin in earnest in Waterloo, Iowaon Sunday, where Texas governor Rick Perry, who announced his candidature on Saturday, is to speak at a dinner in the Electric Park ballroom that will also be attended by congresswoman Michele Bachmann.
Bachmann changed her diary to be there, setting up an early showdown between two Christian evangelicals either of whom could be Barack Obama's opponent in the presidential election next year. Bachmann received a big early advantage on Saturday night when she came top of the Republican straw poll in Ames, the biggest political festival in America this year. In the second biggest vote in the history of the straw poll, with almost 17,000 voting, Bachmann took 4,823. Perry, as he had not declared in time, was not on the ballot but still managed to win 718 write-ins. The victory provides Bachmann with a short-term advantage but it is unlikely to last long with the arrival of Perry. The real race begins now.
The importance of the evangelical vote is huge, representing an estimated 40% of Republicans who will vote in the Iowa caucus, which is scheduled for February. Iowa, as the first of the contests, matters – helping to propel candidates to the front of the race and seeing others heading for oblivion.
Around 17,000 Iowans took part in the event. Ms Bachmann, a US representative from Minnesota, edged out Ron Paul, another US representative, and rolled over the rest of the Republican field to capture the nonbinding Iowa mock election.
Nearly a dozen Republicans are seeking the chance to challenge Barack Obama for the presidency in 2012.
The straw poll has no formal place in the party's election machine, but it can catapult a candidate into frontrunner status or send a hopeful into the class of also-rans.
The win gives momentum to Ms Bachmann's campaign, but she still faces tough competition from Mitt Romney who skipped the poll and Texas governor Rick Perry, who has just kicked off his own campaign.
Ms Bachmann won 4,823 votes to Mr Paul's 4,671. Tim Pawlenty, who had focused on a strong showing in the straw poll to rescue his struggling campaign, finished a distant third with 2,293 votes in a bruising setback.
Ms Bachmann has been campaigning for just over a month, but has fired up supporters with her rhetoric and her style.
In South Carolina, conservative Texas governor Rick Perry formally jumped into the race with a blistering attack on president Barack Obama.
"We cannot afford four more years of this rudderless leadership," Mr Perry told a conference of conservatives, promising to reduce taxes, regulations and government intrusion in people's lives.
Mr Perry, a staunch social conservative with a strong job creation record in Texas, is expected to immediately vault into the top tier of contenders along with front-runner former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. Mr Perry visits Iowa on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Sarah Palin says she will make a decision within the next couple of months if she will also run.
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