CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) -- Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann is dismissing concerns about the strength of her campaign, saying she's the Republican with the best conservative credentials and "the complete skill set" to become president.

The Minnesota congresswoman told reporters after a campaign event Monday in suburban Cedar Rapids that her campaign is "positioned perfectly right now" to make a strong bid for the GOP nomination even as her standing sags in national polls.

Bachmann urged a group of about 35 who gathered in a hotel ballroom not to settle on a more moderate candidate who is considered more likely to beat President Barack Obama. She says conservatives "have to have a candidate who has it all" this cycle -- and argued that she's the one.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)