After eight years of serving the Sixth Congressional District in the state of Minnesota, Rep. Michele Bachmann, one of the most polarizing political figures Minnesota has ever seen, made her final speech to the United State Congress Tuesday, Dec. 9.
Bachmann is beloved by the majority of Wright County voters, using communities like St. Michael, Albertville and Otsego to carry her to her closest election victory in 2012 over DFL challenger Jim Graves. Her values meshed with the faith-filled, values voting Republicans her district boasted, known nationally as a Republican stronghold.
Elected in 2006, Bachmann took office in 2007 as the first Republican woman ever elected to Federal office from Minnesota. She found her voice with the Tea Party – a conservative movement within the Republican Party. Bachmann served as the caucus chair, even providing a response to the 2011 State of the Union address.
“I think the people of my district always knew I was someone who was here to fight for them,” she said. “I wasn’t someone who was bought and paid for. I shared the opinions I held for the people that I represented, and I fought for what I thought was right.”
In her address, Bachmann called her eight years the “ride of a lifetime,” and recognized what an honor it was to serve in the freest country on earth.
You can watch the entire address here: