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Tea Party favourite kicks off campaign for Republican nomination with pledge to give Americans ‘independence from government’ Michele Bachmann , the rising favourite of the Tea Party movement, launched her presidential campaign on Monday with a pledge to give Americans “independence from government” so they can go back to relying on God and their neighbours. The Republican member of Congress kicked off her race for her party’s nomination in Waterloo, Iowa, where she was born 55 years ago, with a significant opinion poll showing her tied with the front runner, Mitt Romney , in the state which is seen as a key battleground. But even as Bachmann played to the crowd with reminiscences about her childhood, she was already coming under scrutiny over her family’s acceptance of hundreds of thousands of dollars in farm and business subsidies when she vigorously claims to be in favour of slashing government spending. Bachmann, who represents a district in neighbouring Minnesota in Congress, staked out a position aimed at Tea Party supporters who she said go far beyond the Republican right to include disaffected Democrats and independents. She said that because of years of failed government policies “the American dream is now distant from many Americans”. “I think that Americans agree, our country is in peril today and we have to act with urgency to save it,” she said. Bachmann said the people stand with her “against government that’s got too big, spends too much and takes away too many of our liberties”. Bachmann has called for corporate tax cuts, the scrapping of some environmental laws and the phasing out of a number of personal taxes. She has also called for greater fiscal restraint. “We can’t continue to rack up debt and put it on the backs of the next generation. We can’t afford an unconstitutional health care law that will cost us too much and deliver so little. We can’t afford four more years of failed leadership here at home and abroad. We can’t afford four more years of millions of Americans who are out of work and who aren’t making enough in wages to support a family,” she said. Bachmann played to her local roots, telling Iowans that she cried when her mother told her the family was leaving the state for Minnesota. “I always say everything I need to know I learned in Iowa,” she said. The Des Moines Register released a poll of support for Republican presidential contenders in Iowa that put Bachmann in a virtual dead heat with Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who is considered a more mainstream candidate, among those likely to attend the caucus. Romney pulled in 23% while Bachmann had 22%. However, the Republican field is far from complete with potential heavyweights such as the Texas governor, Rick Perry, still to declare. For all her stand against big government, Bachmann is facing accusations of hypocrisy after being questioned about the fact that her family farm received $260,000 in federal subsidies and that her husband’s business has accepted $30,000 from the state of Minnesota. Asked about the payments on Fox News, Bachmann said that her family never directly profited from the farm subsidies. “It’s not my husband and my farm. It’s my father-in-law’s farm. And my husband and I have never gotten a penny of money from the farm.” But, according to the Los Angeles Times , Bachmann’s financial disclosure forms for the past two years show her receiving between $15,000 and $50,000 from the Bachmann Family Farm LP. In addition, the Los Angeles Times reported that Bachmann’s husband received nearly $30,000 in subsidies from the state of Minnesota over the past five years for a counselling clinic he runs. “First of all, the money that went to the clinic was actually training money for employees,” Bachmann said. “The clinic did not get the money. And my husband and I did not get the money either. That’s mental health training money that went to employees.” Michele Bachmann US elections 2012 Tea Party movement Republicans United States US politics Chris McGreal guardian.co.uk