NASHUA, N.H. — Hours before Michele Bachmann crossed the border into New Hampshire for her first trip here as a presidential aspirant, her nascent campaign picked up its first endorsement from an elected official — and an Iowan no less.

Iowa state Sen. Kent Sorenson, a Tea Party-affiliated rising star in very conservative circles there, backed Bachmann today, telling CNN’s Peter Hamby that he’ll be with her if she decides to run.

Already, Bachmann’s few months of spadework have paid dividends in Iowa. Republican state Sen. Kent Sorenson, a leading Tea Party figure in the state, told CNN he plans to support Bachmann if she runs.

“There is a void out there that needs to be filled,” Sorenson said. “I hope she decides to run. She is somebody that has the credentials to fire up the grassroots. She would be someone who could unite different factions of the party. She is a strong fiscal and social conservative.”

Sorenson was one of three names consistently mentioned to me when I was in Iowa in January as someone who could be an early endorser. The other two: State Rep. Kim Pearson said then she planned on waiting to commit, while Bachmann’s biggest ally in Congress, Steve King, has said he’s officially undecided for now.

Bachmann has said she plans to decide whether or not to run for president by “early summer.”