Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, a Tea Party favorite and rising star in the Republican presidential race, released her first TV ad in Iowa today:

In addition to continuing to play the Iowa roots card–one that is a true asset, as they like their own in this state, Democratic Senator Tom Harkin having cruised to victory in the Democratic caucus there in 1992 before Bill Clinton won the nomination–Bachmann comes out definitively against raising the debt ceiling, no matter what.

This could prove to be a litmus test much like universal healthcare was in 2007 for Democrats. Indeed, despite his candidacy ultimately proving disastrous for himself and his family, Edwards successfully pushed the candidates to the left on the issue, and we should look for Bachmann to do the same in the other direction on the debt ceiling.