Politics & Government

Bachmann Heading South as Primary Odds Improve

The unlikely presidential candidate is rising to top-tier status in advance of a five-stop trip through the Palmetto State, including Daniel Island.

Newly minted as a co-front-runner after effectively tying former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in a recent Iowa poll of Republican presidential candidates, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann will be appearing on Daniel Island early Wednesday. Her local stop will be amidst a whirlwind three days of campaigning that began today with the official announcement of her candidacy in her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa. From there, Bachmann will head to New Hampshire before coming to South Carolina for an event on Tuesday evening in Myrtle Beach. She’ll be at Daniel Island's Smythe Park on Wednesday at 9 a.m. and then on to Lexington, Greenville and Rock Hill.

With Romney effectively established as the choice of moderate Republicans, Bachmann is looking to break away from a group of several candidates to capture the votes of the more conservative wing of the party, . Based on the Iowa poll and the fact that she raised more money in the first quarter than every candidate except the Libertarian Ron Paul, she appears on her way to achieving that goal.

Prior to 2008, Bachmann was a little-known congresswoman from the Minneapolis suburbs, but during an appearance on a cable news program she seemed to question then-candidate Barack Obama’s patriotism by calling some of his views anti-American. Bachmann backtracked from those statements, but has made a number of statements since then that have raised eyebrows, including remarks about President Obama’s policy for offshore drilling, government spending and the health care overhaul, among others. Politifact, which received a Pulitzer Prize for its efforts at holding politicians accountable, rates the veracity of some of her statements here.

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Whether they were actual gaffes or well-timed invectives to rally her base of support, her remarks succeeded in putting her in the national spotlight. She capitalized on the newfound attention by becoming one of the leading figures of the nascent Tea Party movement and she now leads the Tea Party Caucus in the House of Representatives.

Indeed, it could be successfully argued that Bachmann is the foremost female in the Republican Party at the present time, having supplanted former Alaska governor in that capacity. Where Palin has struggled with credibility issues even within the GOP, Bachmann has not, thanks in part to a willingness to speak on any issue at most any venue. She has been particularly outspoken as pro-life and against gay marriage. Her position on a number of topics is available on her Congressional web page.

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Despite the implication in some quarters that she does not have the intellectual rigor for a serious candidacy, Bachmann’s biography says otherwise.  Few candidates can present the type of diversity of experience as the 55 year-old Bachmann. She has given birth to five children and been a foster parent to 23 more. She has a law degree and an advanced degree in tax law. She was a tax lawyer for the Internal Revenue Service for five years before become a full-time mother after the birth of her fourth child. Her and her husband also own a counseling practice.

Bachmann did not run for office until she was in her early 40s and lost her first election bid. In 2000, she upset a nine-term incumbent for a seat in the Minnesota Senate, where she remained until being elected to Congress in 2006.

With the first primary votes still six months from being cast, Bachmann has surprised many pundits with her strong showing in polling and fundraising. Her challenge will be to maintain the standard she has set thus far, but now under the crucible of media coverage that comes with the pursuit of national office. She will also be fighting history in seeking to become the first woman elected to the nation’s highest office. Additionally, only once has a sitting member of the House of Representatives been elected president.

Note: This is the first in a series of candidate profiles written by Patch sites in South Carolina.


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