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Michele Bachmann addressing supporters in Des Moines last night - just hours before she announced an end to her campaign anyway. Justin Hayworth/The Register/AP

Bachmann calls a halt to stuttering presidential campaign

Michele Bachmann’s fifth-place finish in the Iowa caucus prompts her to put an end to her US presidential campaign.

MINNESOTA CONGRESSWOMAN Michele Bachmann has called a halt to her presidential campaign after a disappointing fifth-place finish in last night’s opening caucus for the Republican nomination.

Speaking in Des Moines – the capital of the state which gave her only 5 per cent of the vote last night, despite her being born there – Bachmann said she had decided to “stand aside” after the voters of Iowa had spoken with a “clear voice”.

The congresswoman – who has been in Congress for little over five years – said she had told voters “the truth: that our country is in very serious trouble.”

Bachmann had sought to be the main opponent to Barack Obama in this November’s presidential election because of his “socialist policies”, she said, and shared serious reservations about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – better known as ‘Obamacare’, a term she used 11 times in her speech.

“Obamacare represents the largest expansion of entitlement spending in our country’s history,” she said, revealing that she had decided to run for the presidency the day the Act had been signed.

The next election cycle, she added, represented “a turning point for our country and our economy” and was the only chance to repeal this Act before it became too late and had already trigged major government spending.

“Its repeal is more than a cliché,” she added.

Would future generations ask of us, gathered here today: What did we do? What did we give? What did we sacrifice, to ensure the survival of this incomparable republic?

Bachmann had declared fundraising of $8.4m as of the end of September, putting her fourth in the Republican fundraising stakes behind Mitt Romney, Rick Perry and Ron Paul.

She will no longer be entitled to continue fundraising – something she would have been able to do had she merely ‘suspended’ her campaign as other Republicans, like Herman Cain, have done.

Mitt Romney secures Iowa win in tight GOP presidential contest

Romney wins Iowa (just)  - What now in race to be the Republican nominee?

In pictures: Feelings run high as US presidential race kicks off

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18 Comments
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    Mute mart_n
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    Jan 23rd 2013, 9:17 PM

    The photo of the building standing alone encased in ice is like something out of Fringe

    125
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    Mute Kyle McKenna
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    Jan 23rd 2013, 10:50 PM

    Is that Agent Dunham?!

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    Mute Valerie O' Regan
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    Jan 23rd 2013, 9:25 PM

    That’s class!!

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    Mute Slap'stick Ireland
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    Jan 23rd 2013, 9:37 PM

    I heard an interview the other day on coast to coast fm, some weather scientist was talking about “how our planet is slowly entering a mini ice age”.

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    Mute David Linehan
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    Jan 23rd 2013, 10:13 PM

    Bro lives in Chicago, winters ain’t pretty but they’re summers make up for it more then enough!

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    Mute B Collins
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    Jan 23rd 2013, 10:25 PM

    Wow. The last three photos in particular are amazing.

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    Mute Oisín Tarrant
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    Jan 24th 2013, 12:14 AM

    Im about an hour south of there right now, its cold, but its no mini Ice Age. We would normally have a bunch of snow by now, but theres nothing atall.

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    Mute Marilyn Maroney
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    Jan 24th 2013, 1:24 AM

    I live south of there too(south side Irish)..today felt like a heat wave compared to Monday and Tuesday ..bring on the 90 degree weather !!!!!

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    Mute Huey
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    Jan 24th 2013, 10:44 AM

    Tough work on those conditions. Hard men

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    Mute Dave Sherman
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    Jan 23rd 2013, 11:52 PM

    Looks very like my old primary school.

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    Mute Jill :D
    Favourite Jill :D
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    Jan 24th 2013, 9:18 AM

    It’s like something youd see in a movie!

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