Bachmann Mulls Campaign for President

The star of Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann, a tea party darling, is clearly on the rise. While speculation emerged recently that she may run for Senate in 2012, now she is contemplating a bid to become president, ABC News reports.

Bachmann, a stalwart conservative who has served three terms in Congress, will head to the early presidential caucus state of Iowa this month to speak with Republican heavyweights there, a source close to her tells ABC. She wants to get a lay of the land before making her decision.

The Waterloo, Iowa, native also plans to speak at an Iowans for Tax Relief PAC fundraiser Jan. 21 in Des Moines. Bachmann's January journey to Iowa will represent her third visit to the state during the last eight months. Last week she appeared at a Republican fundraiser in Michigan, another early primary state.

Asked whether Bachmann is considering a presidential bid, her chief of staff
Andy Parrish told ABC News, "Nothing is off the table. The congresswoman is excited about her first trip to Iowa this year."