In her opening statement during Monday’s Republican presidential primary debate, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann announced that she has filed the necessary paperwork to launch a formal White House bid.

“I filed today my paperwork to run for president of the United States,” Bachmann said. “I wanted you to be the first to know,” she told CNN’s John King, who moderated the debate.

The self-proclaimed “Constitutional conservative” has for months publically flirted with the possibility that she would run for president, but said in recent weeks that she would make her official announcement in her birthplace of Waterloo, Iowa. Last week, Bachmann hired veteran Republican operative Ed Rollins to lead her campaign. The theme is “Join the Fight to Reclaim America.”

“I’ve worked very hard to bring your voice to the halls of Congress,” Bachmann says in a newly released video. “Now I want to take your voice into the White House, where it hasn’t been heard for a long time.”

Bachmann is currently the only woman in the race, but could soon be joined by former Republican vice presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. The two deny that a rivalry exists between them, but they’ll certainly be interesting to watch if Palin decides to throw her hat into the ring. Both have a penchance for the spotlight, a propensity for making high profile gaffes and appeal to the same conservative base.

(Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)