Bachmann: Iowa win sends message to Obama

Republican presidential candidate and Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann said Sunday her win in the Iowa Straw Poll is a sign of voter discontent with President Barack Obama and his handling of the economy.

"People in Iowa sent a message loud and clear to President Obama," Bachmann said on CNN's "State of the Union" program.

"They said, 'We are done with your policies. We want something very different.' People want job creation," she said on CNN. "They want the economy to turn around and work."

Bachmann, 55, a third-term Republican in the House, made appearances on five Sunday morning television talk shows after winning the Ames, Iowa, straw poll contest with 29 percent of about 17,000 votes, edging out Texas Congressman Ron Paul, with 28 percent, and placing well ahead of former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, with 14 percent. Pawlenty, who had campaigned in Iowa since 2009, announced an end to his bid for the White House.

But Bachmann faces a new threat from Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who announced his bid for the GOP presidential nomination Saturday in South Carolina.

When asked on Fox why voters should favor her over Perry, she said, "I've demonstrated that I have been a fighter in Washington."

"I get job creation," she said. "I have a proven record." Bachmann said Perry's entry won't immediately force a change in her strategy. Focusing on defeating Obama "is my strategy," she said.

Bachmann, who was born in Iowa, said her victory there marks a "tremendous accomplishment" since launching her bid less than two months ago to seek the Republican Party's presidential nomination in 2012.

In her television appearances, Bachmann said she opposed new spending, including extending unemployment benefits. "The economy will go into likely a double-dip recession if we increase taxes, versus getting our spending under control," she said on CNN.

Bachmann, who voted against raising the federal debt ceiling of $14.3 trillion, said on CBS's "Face the Nation" the market turmoil last week and Standard & Poor's Aug. 5 downgrade of U.S. long-term debt was a "punch to the gut."

"The markets are roiling right now because people see that this president is flailing without a plan," she said on NBC.