(The information below is an excerpt from Michele Bachmann’s campaign website, www.michelebachmann.com) Michele Bachmann is running for president to bring a new voice to the White House — a voice of constitutional conservatism, limited government, and a safe and secure America. Elected in 2006, Michele is the first Republican woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota.
From the beginning, she has demonstrated bold reform, pushing to fix Washington’s broken ways. Michele is a leading advocate for tax reform, a staunch opponent of wasteful government spending, and a strong proponent of adherence to the Constitution, as intended by the Founding Fathers. She believes government has grown exponentially, with Obamacare being the most recent example of its uninhibited growth. Michele wants government to make the kind of serious spending decisions that many families and small businesses have been forced to make. She is a champion of free markets and she believes in the vitality of the family as the first unit of government.
She is also a defender of the unborn and staunchly stands for religious liberties. Prior to serving in the U.S. Congress, Michele was elected to the Minnesota State Senate in 2000 where she championed the Taxpayers Bill of Rights. Before that, she spent five years as a federal tax litigation attorney, working on hundreds of civil and criminal cases. That experience solidified her strong support for efforts to simplify the Tax Code and reduce tax burdens on family and small business budgets. Michele also led the charge on education issues in Minnesota calling for the abolishment of Goals 2000 and the Profiles of Learning in its school. She recognized the need for quality schools and subsequently started a charter school for at-risk kids in Minnesota. Michele sits on the Financial Services Committee (FSC) and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
This experience has given her keen insight into the housing crisis and credit crunch, leading Michele to be a staunch opponent of the taxpayer- funded bailout of Wall Street and the Dodd-Frank legislation. Serving on the Intelligence Committee, she has consistently advocated peace through strength to ensure America’s national security. She has proudly taken a vow to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. In July 2010, Michele hosted the first Tea Party Caucus meeting. She is seen as a champion of Tea Party values including the call for lower taxes, renewed focus on the Constitution and the need to shrink the size of government. Michele is a graduate of Anoka High School and Winona State University.
She received her J.D. at the O.W. Coburn School of Law at Oral Roberts University and an L.L.M. in Tax Law at the College of William and Mary. She has been married to Marcus for more than thirty years and they live in Stillwater where they own a small business mental health care practice that employs nearly 50 people. Michele and Marcus have five children, Lucas, Harrison, Elisa, Caroline, and Sophia. In addition, the Bachmann family has opened their home to 23 foster children, which has inspired Michele to become one of Congress’ leading advocates for foster and adopted children, earning her bipartisan praise for her efforts.