Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann said Monday night during a debate of declared and potential Republican presidential contenders that she had filed the paperwork needed to enter the race.
Bachmann, a favorite of the the Tea Party movement, said she intended to make a formal announcement of her candidacy soon.
She and other Republican White House hopefuls criticized President Obama’s handling of the economy from the opening moments of the two-hour debate and pledged emphatically to repeal the administration’s year-old health care law.
Obama was hundreds of miles away, vowing to continue his efforts to create jobs as the Republicans met on a stage at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire.
Bachmann, a third-term congresswoman and the first female contender to enter the 2012 race, has been leaning heavily toward a run over the past few months, visiting early primary states, raising money and railing against Obama.
“Our country needs a leader who understands the hardships that people across America have been facing over the past few years, and who will do what it takes to renew the American dream. We must become a strong and proud America again, and I see clearly a better path to a brighter future,” Bachmann said in a statement issued through her new campaign.
She brings high energy, charisma and proven fundraising ability to the Republican race to nominate a challenger to Obama. She also is known for unyielding stances, biting commentary and high-profile gaffes.
While she hasn’t built the broad campaign infrastructure of some GOP rivals, she has gradually patched together a blend of tested and fresh-but-determined advisers. She’s also shown an ability to raise money from a network of small-dollar donors, including $13.5 million she put toward the nation’s most expensive House race of 2010.
Bachmann, 55, spent the bulk of her political career in Minnesota and Washington as a minority party member, reveling in her role as a fierce voice of the opposition. She didn’t let up when Republicans gained control of the U.S. House last fall, enhancing her standing through public breaks with party leaders after she was denied a place in caucus leadership.
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5 Responses
She has a solid background in public life (civil service attorney for the IRS, combined with a post-JD law degree in taxation law), serious experience in office (unlike Sarah), and a solid family life (unlike Newt) – and at least she wasn’t born with a silver spoon in her mouth (unlike Romney and Huntsman). She has a good record of being friendly to Jews, but that’s true of almost all Republicans these days.
Sarah Palin with a brain. A truly lethal combination.
#2 – I object to saying that Sarah lacks a brain. However she is basically a rural housewife with minimal experience (part time jobs as a mayor and governor of a small state). She was more interested in sports than academics in school, though she did manage a B.A. from a reputable state university (in pursuit of a career as a sport journalist). Sarah’s not as overly polished as one would want for a presidential candidate, but it is rude to question her “brains”.
Michelle Bachmann is more of “Sarah” with two graduate degrees, and a respectable resume.
Is she by any chance related to Bachmann from the pretzel company?? Also was wondering if she would take Suri Palin as her running mate.
Whacko with a capital “W”