Former GOP presidential candidate and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) weighed in on the state of the Republican primary race in a recent interview, declaring that she "was the perfect candidate," even after her departure from the race.
Asked by Bloomberg TV's Al Hunt who of the remaining four candidates was the "most conservative," Bachmann responded by including herself in the mix.
"I was. I was the perfect candidate," Bachmann said in the interview, which aired on Friday. "America had their chance with the perfect candidate. But any of our candidates are going to be acceptable to the American people, and more than acceptable, because right now, if you look at the Gallup map that came out this week, President Obama is in big trouble all across the country."
(Video above, via Bloomberg TV. Bachmann's comments come around the 4-minute mark.)
Bachmann also told Hunt that she was happy with the field's stance on the issues she had promoted most enthusiastically during her campaign.
"Well, all of the candidates that remain -- there's four candidates that remain, and they are all for repealing Obamacare. They're all for repealing Dodd-Frank. And I'm very grateful that they are." she said, before admitting that each of them exhibited both "strengths and weaknesses." She then urged the candidates to focus on the most important goal of the election cycle: defeating President Barack Obama.
Bachmann suspended her presidential campaign last month after placing poorly in Iowa, despite her best efforts to make a strong showing there with a last-minute, across-the-state tour.
Last month, Bachmann announced that she would run for re-election in her congressional district in Minnesota. On Monday, she tapped Chase Kroll, the political director of her successful 2010 run, to manage her campaign.
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Posted: 02/06/12 06:00 PM ET