Iowa

Michele Bachmann came out on top in Saturday's Iowa Straw Poll with 29 percent of the vote, securing a frontrunner status in the GOP presidential race.

Ron Paul (R-Texas) came in a close second while former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty rounded out the top three.

Nearly 17,000 votes were cast. more >>

Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann were confronted at the Iowa State Fair on Friday by a gay teen who saw himself as a second-class citizen under the policies they support.

Gabe Aderhold, 17, first approached Pawlenty at The Des Moines Register's soapbox, saying, "You are discriminating against me and it hurts."

The senior from Edina High School in Edina, Minn., was speaking from the middle of the crowd that had gathered to hear Pawlenty, former governor of Minnesota, speak. more >>

The Iowa Straw Poll, one of the most watched political events of the summer, will take place this Saturday. What is it and why does it matter? Here are some answers.

What is a straw poll?

A straw poll is an election with non-binding results. It is used to gauge opinion on a candidate or issue before the official (votes are cast) results. The phrase originates from the act of tossing a piece of straw into the air to see which way the wind blows it. more >>

The Values Bus Tour, sponsored by the Faith Family Freedom Fund, National Organization for Marriage, and Susan B. Anthony List, will bring attention to the issues of traditional marriage, abortion and religious freedom for Iowa voters in the week before the Iowa Straw Poll.

“The Iowa Straw Poll is a good place to plant the flag for the social issues that we're interested in,” Connie Mackey, President of FRCAction PAC, said in an interview with The Christian Post.

“It's not that we're not interested in the economy and what is happening today, but we feel that all the issues are of one piece, the issue of life, the issue of traditional marriage, religious liberty, the loss of liberties through big government and other issues like that,” Mackey added. more >>

Tim Pawlenty, who has been working hard to pique the interest of Iowa voters, shared to Glittarazzi reporters outside of a recent Iowa fundraiser that he likes Lady Gaga’s music.

But one evangelical calls the statement a "rookie mistake" that might alienate him from both conservative and evangelical voters.

After talking politics with Iowan conservatives for an hour, the former Minnesota governor and now presidential hopeful moved outdoors where he chatted about his most relied-upon tech gadgets (an iPhone and a lost iPad) and music. During the conversation, he made some casual comments about approving of Lady Gaga's singing ability and her hit song, Bad Romance. more >>

Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann reminds Iowa voters in a new ad that the Minnesota congresswoman is a native Iowan.

“As a descendent of generations of Iowans, I was born and raised in Waterloo,” Bachmann says. The ad opens to scenes from Waterloo and photos of Bachmann as a child. Bachmann lived in Waterloo, Iowa until she was 12 years old.

The ad informs viewers that Bachmann is a mother of five, and formerly a tax attorney and small business owner. It also emphasizes Bachmann's fiscal conservatism. more >>