Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.)

Political Career

As the debate heated up, Bachmann resigned, later calling the saga anti-Christian discrimination.Anderson, G.R., “The Chosen One —Michele Bachmann’s recipe for success: Christian piety and not-so-Christian opportunism,” (Minneapolis, Minn.) City Pages, October 4, 2006.
8Anderson, G.R., “The Chosen One —Michele Bachmann’s recipe for success: Christian piety and not-so-Christian opportunism,” (Minneapolis, Minn.) City Pages, October 4, 2006.In 1995, she became a litigation attorney with the U.S. Treasury Department in St. Paul, arguing tax cases. By 1999, Bachmann was ready to run for public office, but dissuaded from running for the state Senate by regional Republican officials. Instead, she ran for the local school board and lost.Black, Eric. “Rove stumps for Bachmann, Kennedy,” (Minneapolis, Minn.) Star-Tribune, July 21, 2006.

In 2000, the local GOP establishment again attempted to discourage Bachmann from running for state Senate and continued its support for 28-year incumbent Gary Laidig, but she prevailed in the primary and went on to win the election. She was reelected in 2004 after redistricting pitted her against another incumbent.

After her second victory, state Senate Minority Leader Dick Day (R) appointed her assistant minority leader of policy; however, she was stripped of the position the next year after her demands for tax cuts and anti-abortion initiatives threatened to hold up financing legislation. When the 6th district House incumbent, Rep. Mark Kennedy (R), announced in 2005 he would vacate his seat to run for the U.S. Senate, Bachmann announced her candidacy to replace Kennedy. Her appeal to fundamentalist Christians and the conservative base earned her strong support from the National Republican Congressional Committee and special attention from President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and strategist Karl Rove, all of whom raised funds for Bachmann’s campaign.Roberts, William, “Republicans Falter in Bid to Mobilize Christian Conservatives,” Bloomberg News Service, October 19, 2006.National religious and conservative groups such as James Dobson’s  Focus On The Family also lent their efforts.Freed, Joshua, “Ellison, Walz grab seats; Bachmann holds 6th for GOP,” Associated Press, November 7, 2006.

Bachmann defeated DFL candidate Patty Wetterling and Independence Party candidate John Binkowski with 50 percent of the vote.Paitich, Aaron, and Wolter, Lori, “Bachmann wins 6th District,” Minnesota Daily, November 5, 2008. Given her tax background, she was immediately assigned to the House Financial Services Committee, including the subcommittees on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises; Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology; and Oversight and Investigations.

Bachmann was an early favorite in the 2008 election against DFL candidate Elwyn Tinklenberg, but her comments on Hardball led to a massive fundraising surge for the Democrat and condemnation from within her own party, tightening the race. Despite the unfavorable national attention, Bachmann defeated Tinklenberg by three points, 46 percent to 43 percent.Bachmann, Michele, testimony before the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, June 19, 2007.

Separation of Church and State

Bachmann has lobbied hard throughout her political career for the teaching in schools of intelligent design, the belief that some aspects of existence are best attributable to a superior being. She has argued that evolution is a theory that has never been proven.Smith, Dane, “Ten Commandments Rally Days About 200; Groups Call for Christian Values in Public Life,” (Minneapolis, Minn.) Star Tribune, November 1, 2003. In the state Senate, she co-authored a bill requiring intelligent design to be part of the school curriculum, and, in 2003, she participated in a “Ten Commandments Rally” at the Minnesota state Capitol, calling for the posting of the Ten Commandments at public schools and buildings.Brunswick, Mark, “Same-sex marriage bill heads to House floor,” (Minneapolis, Minn.) Star Tribune, March 12, 2004.

Opposing Gay Rights

Bachmann is a staunch opponent of any effort to expand gay rights. In the state Senate in 2004, she proposed a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and then organized a “Minnesota for Marriage” rally in which she told supporters to flood the state Senate and directly protest to opponents of the bill.Markell, Jan, “Prophetic Views Behind The News,” KKMS-AM News, March 20, 2004.As a result, Senate business ground to a halt and the session ended in stalemate. Bachmann again proposed the bill the following year and held a second rally, but the legislation was rejected. She supports a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, and also opposes other arrangements such as civil unions. She has called homosexuality a sexual “dysfunction” and accused the gay community of targeting children.Scheck, Tom, “Bachmann: Iran has plan to turn part of Iraq into terrorist haven,” Minnesota Public Radio, February 23, 2007.

Iraq

Bachmann supported the troop surge in Iraq and continues to oppose a timeline for pullout of American troops. She caused controversy by publicly claiming that Iran had a plan to control half of Iraq and use the territory to launch terrorist attacks throughout the Mideast region.Scheck, Tom, “Bachmann: Iran has plan to turn part of Iraq into terrorist haven,” Minnesota Public Radio, February 23, 2007.

Energy

Bachmann’s stances on energy have ranged from issues large (introducing legislation to reduce dependence on foreign oil sources and increase domestic production) to small (introducing legislation to repeal a nationwide phase-out of conventional light bulbs).

She is a strong advocate of increasing domestic oil and natural gas exploration in the Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve and Outer Continental Shelf; she is also a proponent of renewable energy. She has voted to combat rising energy costs.

The Economy

Like all other House Republicans, Bachmann voted against President Obama’s economic stimulus package approved by Congress in February 2009. Bachmann has strict anti-tax principles, and believes strongly in small government. She opposed the federal bailouts of financial institutions and the American auto industry in fall 2008, and has argued for breaking up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. She also opposes increases in the federal minimum wage.

Patriotism

“I am very concerned that he may have anti-American views,” Bachmann said about Obama on MSNBC's Hardball (and following with similar statements on a radio show the following the day), citing his association with pastor Jeremiah Wright and education reformer Bill Ayers. But she was quick to backtrack after being taken to task even by those in her own party: Minnesota Sen.Norm Coleman (R) denounced her remarks, as did 2008 vice presidential-candidate Palin. Both Colin Powell and a former Republican governor of Minnesota publicly backed Obama in direct response to the comments. Bresnahan, John, “Colin Powell calls Bachmann’s comments ‘nonsense’,” Politico, October 19, 2008. 

A movement for an official congressional censure of Bachmann gathered 35,000 signatures within 24 hours of the Hardball interview. The comments reflected her general distrust of liberal philosophy as anti-capitalist; in the state Senate in 2001, she publicly accused Congress of trying to replace free-market ideals with a socialist, globalist worldview disloyal to America.Chapman, Michael J., and Bachmann, Michele, “How New U.S. Policy Embraces a State-Planned Economy,” 2001.

Abortion

Bachmann is a strong opponent of abortion, except in cases of rape or incest. In the state Senate, she introduced legislation to limit public funding for abortion.