A self-proclaimed "Constitutional Conservative," U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann landed in the national spotlight in 2008, when she said then-presidential candidate Barack Obama "may have anti-American views."
She announced her candidacy for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination June 27 during an appearance in Waterloo, Iowa.
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Bachmann was born April 6, 1956, in Waterloo, although her family moved to Minnesota when she was 13. After her parents divorced, Bachmann's father, David John Amble, moved to California, and Bachmann was raised by her mother, Jean, who worked at a local bank. Her mother remarried when Bachmann was a teenager, resulting in a family with nine children.
Bachmann graduated from Anoka High School in 1974 and spent time working on a kibbutz in Israel. In 1978, she graduated from Winona State University with a Bachelor of Arts and went on to earn a law degree from Oral Roberts University.
She also married her husband that year after meeting as undergraduates. Marcus Bachmann is now a clinical therapist with a master's degree from Regent University and a doctorate. from Union Graduate School.
In 1988, Bachmann received a degree in tax law from the William & Mary School of Law. From 1988 to 1993, she was an attorney working for the Internal Revenue Service, leaving her position become a full-time mother when her fourth child was born. She and her husband have five children.
Bachmann and her husband have also provided foster care for 23 other children, all teenage girls.
Bachmann grew up in a Democratic family, but says she became a Republican during her senior year at Winona State. She told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that she was reading Gore Vidal's 1973 novel, "Burr:" "He was kind of mocking the Founding Fathers and I just thought, I just remember reading the book, putting it in my lap, looking out the window and thinking, 'You know what? I don't think I am a Democrat. I must be a Republican.'"
In 2000, she won her first term to the Minnesota Senate, focusing on abortion and gay marriage issues and winning several more terms.
Bachmann has represented Minnesota's 6th congressional district since 2006, becoming the state's first Republican woman to be elected to the U.S. House. She is a vocal member of the conservative tea party, helping form the Tea Party Caucus in July 2010.
On The Issues:
Defense -- Bachmann feels preserving national security comes down to the simple maxim: stand up for our friends, stand up to our foes ... and know the difference.
Energy -- Bachmann notoriously promised gas under $2 a gallon if elected, and would increase access to domestic oil and gas reserves, do away with some EPA regulations and keep taxes on energy companies to a minimum.
Health Care -- One of the biggest opponents of "Obamacare," Bachmann would repeal the health care package passed by Obama and push for greater competition in the health care insurance market.
Jobs -- She proposes deep cuts in spending and taxes to stimulate the economy, as well as getting rid of IRS code "so companies can invest again."
Sources: www.michelebachmann.com, New York Times, Wikipedia