With the recent budget deficit debates and now today's Debt Ceiling Summit at the White House, Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann timed the release of her first 2012 election TV ad perfectly.
The 30-second ad, which will begin airing in Iowa later today, starts out on a time-lapse beauty shot of Bachmann’s hometown of Waterloo, Iowa. The video scans over family Kodak photos as she touts her Hawkeye roots and staunch fiscal conservatism.
"As a descendent of generations of Iowans, I was born and raised in Waterloo. As a mom of five, a foster parents, and a former tax lawyer and now a small business job creator, I know we can't keep spending money that we don't have," Bachmann states in the ad. The spot ends with her pledge, "That's why I fought against the wasteful bailout, against the stimulus. I will not vote to increase the debt ceiling."
After Tim Pawlenty, the congresswoman is now the second Republican presidential candidate to air a TV ad in Iowa. Yesterday, Texas Rep. Ron Paul announced a $75,000 radio ad buy.
According to the latest major polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, Bachmann came in second place in the first two primary states, just behind Mitt Romney in Des Moines Register Iowa poll released in late June. The ad comes weeks before next month’s Iowa Straw poll, a key moment for Bachmann’s campaign.