Congresswoman Michele Bachmann formally ended her bid for the White House in a press conference this morning, saying “Last night the people of Iowa spoke with a very clear voice, and so I have decided to step aside.”
Her brief press conference was filled with praise for Iowa, the state where she was born and raised, and which she has “come to love and trust.” Even stronger was her celebration of the United States of America, the “greatest force for good that has ever been seen on the planet.” She spoke of her unshakeable faith in “the Lord God Almighty, this country, this republic.”
Bachmann said that she found the inspiration for her campaign in a painting of the Founding Fathers that hangs in the Capitol, which she contemplated at length on the evening ObamaCare was passed. She explained that repeal of ObamaCare, “the largest expansion of entitlement spending in our country’s history” and a threat to American liberty, remains “more than just a cliché’ to me – it’s an essential core conviction.” She also singled out the Dodd-Frank legislation as an essential target of repeal.
A moment was taken to remind listeners of the importance of winning the Senate, as well as the White House: “I also ran to elect 13 more Republican US senators who would help me repeal ObamaCare.”
Bachmann said she was proud of the effort behind her presidential campaign, about which she has “no regrets, none whatsoever… We never compromised our principles. We can leave this race knowing that we ran it with the utmost integrity and made a serious contribution to the race.” With a smile, she declared that “while a Congressman by title, a politician I never have been, or will be.”
As she departed the presidential campaign, Bachmann stressed that she believes “we must rally around the person that our country, our people, and our party select to be a standard bearer.” However, she did not endorse any other candidate at her farewell conference.
