Bachmann denies her migraines are incapacitating

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) addresses her hometown crowd at an event the day before the official announcement of her entering the 2012 presidential race, in Waterloo, Iowa June 26, 2011.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann said Tuesday she suffers from migraines and controls them with prescription medication but denied a report the headaches leave her incapacitated.

Bachmann, a deeply conservative member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota, has been on the rise since announcing her candidacy last month.

A leading light in the Tea Party conservative movement, Bachmann is battling with Mitt Romney for leadership of the Republican race to take on President Barack Obama next year.

A report in The Daily Caller web site run by conservative writer Tucker Carlson put Bachmann on the defensive and raised questions about her ability to serve as commander in chief.

The article said she frequently suffers from stress-induced medical episodes that she has characterized as severe headaches and that they occur once a week on average and can "incapacitate" her for days at a time.

In three instances the migraines have landed her in the hospital, The Daily Caller said.

"Like nearly 30 million other Americans, I experience migraines that are easily controlled with medication," Bachmann said in a statement issued in South Carolina, where she was campaigning.

Bachmann, 55, said she has maintained a full schedule between her duties as a congresswoman and a presidential candidate, often traveling around the country.

"I have prescription medication that I take whenever symptoms arise and they keep the migraines under control. Let me be abundantly clear. My ability to function effectively has never been impeded by migraines and (they) will not affect my ability to serve as commander-in-chief," she said.

A new survey of Republican voters by Public Policy Polling Tuesday had Bachmann edging slightly past front-runner Romney, 21 percent to 20 percent.

STRESSES OF THE JOB

Presidential candidates always face health questions in running for office as Americans want to be assured the person they are electing can survive the stresses of the job.

Bachmann made it sound like it was a routine, minor problem.

"The many questions I have received on this subject have allowed me to discuss this important condition that impacts individuals in nearly one in four households," she said.

Bachmann is leading the field in Iowa, where social conservatives like her stance on many issues. Iowa holds a straw poll on August 13 in the city of Ames that will be a key test of her strength there.

Ryan Rhodes, chairman of the Iowa Tea Party, traveled with Bachmann for six days on two separate campaign swings through the state. He saw her behind the scenes, away from the spotlight, and says she appeared fine.

"I haven't noticed her having any health problems," he says. "She was absolutely healthy when I saw her."

Steve Deace, an undecided conservative activist in Iowa, was also dismissive.

"These stories are intended to create the narrative that she's a high-strung woman who can't handle the stress of the job. ... People are used to voting for what they perceive to be the alpha male," he said.

(Additional reporting by Thomas Ferraro in Washington and Todd Melby in Minneapolis; editing by Todd Eastham)