Michele Bachmann Campaign Disputes Claim That She Will Not Endorse Newt Gingrich [UPDATED]

Rep. Michele Bachmann will not be joining Texas Gov. Rick Perry among failed presidential candidates willing to back former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's campaign.

The Minnesota Republican put out a statement to South Carolina press on Thursday morning, moments before Perry announced he was leaving the race. Ben Szobody of the Greenville News picked it up in full and highlighted the most important parts (emphasis ours).

For me, these past weeks have been filled with much prayer and personal reflection - which has provided some clarity. Ultimately, I recognize that endorsing a candidate is the responsible thing to do.

But it is far more responsible to ensure that candidate is one I can support with a strong conviction knowing, without any doubt, that they protect our values and have the ability to restore our nation's greatness. With some doubt still present, I am not yet prepared to offer my endorsement, but look forward to doing so in the coming weeks.

However, through this exhaustive process of consideration, it was strikingly obvious that one candidate could not be less acceptable to be our Party's nominee. He lacks the poise, experience and moral fiber to represent our principles and values. That candidate is Newt Gingrich.

In sum, our nation is in desperate need of a proven and moral leader who can point us back in the right direction - not a desperately flawed candidate like Newt Gingrich who has only proven he cannot lead.

Bachmann's coattails are about the same as Perry's: limited. But the fact that the two cannot coalesce around a Romney alternative seems to underscore just how fortunate Romney has been with his field of competition.

UPDATE: Bachmann for President Communications Director Alice Stewart issued the following statement after reports surfaced that she refused to endorse Gingrich:

"The Bachmann for President campaign has not issued an official statement regarding an endorsement of any current candidate in the GOP race ahead of the South Carolina primary. Any information found to the contrary is inaccurate."

The Huffington Post reached out to the Greenville News for a copy of the Bachmann statement that they posted earlier in the morning. They replied with the report found here.

Comments

[kathy smelser]

06:05 AM on 02/18/2012

it seems that she needs a lot more prayers and personal reflection...... maybe daily electric shock therapy would help

[Kathleen Riley-Daniels]

11:17 PM on 01/20/2012

Perhaps she is awaiting the reward for supporting Newt -- you know like the felony he committed offering Palin an appointment. She also may be too busy buying dog sunglasses to make a decision... Yes, I am a cranky constituent.

[cma cma]

10:05 PM on 01/20/2012

The headline and the story is still another Huffpost fabrication about MB, who has not commented on Gingrich at all.

[Yikes11]

09:33 PM on 01/19/2012

Flintstones, meet the Flintstones . . . (LOL). Yep, that's old mittens, Dash Riff Raff.

[UptheStairs]

09:23 PM on 01/19/2012

I miss her.

[Aurical]

09:20 PM on 01/19/2012

How can we miss you if you never freakin leave?

[l78lancer]

08:07 PM on 01/19/2012

Is it any surprise that she hates Gingrich? She felt mistreated, belittled, insulted and patronized according to her own responses.

At this point she is still irrelevant because she holds so little sway. However, if the GOP will ever come up with their "Romney alternative" the cantidates will have to coalesce around Gingrich or Santorum. They cannot count on Paul at any time for any portion of their calculus. If the cantidates do not come together they have no chance of stopping Romney. Even if they do it will be a tough road. Romney then may become the least desirable GOP presumptive nominee in recent history.

Therefore, while she says that she will not support Gingrich now, she may have to address this question again.

[gonealreb]

07:42 PM on 01/19/2012

Nobody cares.

[Yikes11]

07:14 PM on 01/19/2012

Once she gets pulled into the back room with the GOmobsters, she'll be singing a different tune. She will fall in line and goose step right to the press with a fake smile plastered across her face, announcing that she is endorsing Dash Riff Rock. Stay tuned . . .

[l78lancer]

08:11 PM on 01/19/2012

"Dash Riff Rock"
--------------------

That's a play on Dash Rip Rock...do you remember that? LOL!

[dagacheme]

06:39 PM on 01/19/2012

She should get over her war mongering and get behind Ron Paul.

[theanti-capitalist]

06:02 PM on 01/19/2012

Bachmann only has one realistic choice to endorse- Santorum.

Wow. What a choice.

This is probably the point when the candidates are actively seeking to avoid her endorsement.

[SlammoFandango]

05:24 PM on 01/19/2012

Michelle would never stand by a man who would sleep with another woman....we already know this.

[25yep]

06:12 PM on 01/19/2012

If Newt gets the nom, watch Medi Michelle, Jaysus Rick, Texas Rick, Herman Herb, in fact every social conservative in the US slobber all over him as the second coming.

[SlammoFandango]

06:31 PM on 01/19/2012

After SC, ain't gonna be nobody any closer than 3% on their way to getting the needed delegates...All this is jive.

[bpdarling]

06:53 PM on 01/19/2012

She would only be subservient to a man that has slept with other men....happily for 26 years now.

[dwill123]

04:53 PM on 01/19/2012

Go away will you.

[dowl]

04:49 PM on 01/19/2012

Is one L Michele supporting an Alaska/Arizona earthquake?

Hmmm, maybe she'll support the limping GOTP's eventual Republican nominee as long it is not Newt or Mitt. Her default choice (she hopes) in the other Rick whose wife wrote a children's book with an intro by Jerry Sandusky. Wow.

Family values matter to the 'values voters.' 'If one does not work, one does not eat.'

[2008FedUP]

04:44 PM on 01/19/2012

Sheeeeee's baaaaaack :O