Palin, Bachmann Could Be on Collision Course

The Republican Party soon will find out whether it has room for two female, conservative stars: former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann. Both are potential presidential candidates, and their camps are starting to butt heads, Politico reports.

The two have a lot in common, with support from the tea party and social conservatives. Both have a frequent presence on Fox News, too. But the sparks could flyif each woman decides to run for president, and Bachmann looks ready to declare soon.

“We’ve never had really two dynamic women run for president in the Republican caucuses,” Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad said Thursday. “I think it would be really interesting.”

Already, the two are starting to get in each other’s way. Palin’s announcement Thursday of a weekend bus tour on the East Coast eclipsed Bachmann’s final moves toward joining the presidential race.