The Polk County GOP has already sold close to 500 tickets for the event, according to finance director Darrell Kearney, and Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds are among the notable Iowa Republicans who expect to attend.

According to local officials, there is indeed excitement in the air for Bachmann…

According to key GOP figures in the Hawkeye State, the opportunity for Bachmann to leave her mark in a place that often rewards outsiders who are popular with the grassroots is crystal clear. Still, she’ll have to earn it.

“At this point, there are two types of candidates: Those that people believe have too much baggage or too many negatives to be successful, and those they are open to supporting, and she is in that latter category,” Steve Grubbs, an Iowa GOP strategist, said of Bachmann. “She is largely a blank slate. Even though she is on Fox News a fair amount, most Republicans will form their opinion of her over the next few months, and that’s a great place to start.”