Inside the arena, Bachmann arrived to the Elvis Presley song “A Little Less Conversation.” The Minnesota congresswoman spoke at length about her roots in Iowa; she was born in Waterloo.
She urged undeclared attendees to come with her to vote in the poll. “I’m asking for your vote to be the next president of the United States and take your voice to the White House," she said.
But while Bachmann received a raucous ovation, it was nothing like the wave of adoration that greeted Ron Paul, the Texas libertarian. Paul’s supporters, clad in red T-shirts that read “I Voted Ron Paul’ seemed to be everywhere—and they roared as he called for an end to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a return to the gold standard, and railed against the “big banks, big corporations.”
“It’s time to restore freedom to America,” Paul said.