Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann defended her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, taking 46.4 percent of the vote with 100 percent of precincts reporting. Democrat El Tinklenberg received 43.4 percent of the votes. âÄúThe election was about the work I’ve done with the bailout and bringing gas down to $2 a gallon,âÄù Bachmann said. âÄúPeople care about the issues.âÄù She added early in the evening that she was excited and confident about her chances. Despite national scrutiny from âÄúanti-AmericanâÄù comments she made about people in Congress, including President-Elect Barack Obama, Bachmann performed well in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, which is traditionally conservative. Campaign money flooded in for challenger El TinklenbergâÄôs campaign shortly after BachmannâÄôs comments were heard across the country, but it wasnâÄôt enough, as he conceded early Wednesday. Bachmann was first elected in 2006, making her the first Republican woman to represent Minnesota in the U.S. House of Representatives. The win is one of few for Republicans running for Congress, as Democrats did well across the country. Bachmann grew up in Anoka and graduated from Winona State University. She later received her law degree from the Coburn School of Law and a degree in tax law from the College of William and Mary’s Marshall-Wythe School of Law . Check mndaily.com for updates on this race, as well as others that came down to the wire on election night.
