Asked why she wanted to run for president, Rep. Michele Bachmann told Republican activists "because we need a person who is going to stand up to Obamacare," The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
Speaking at a GOP event in New Hampshire Monday, Bachmann made the remark after she was asked why she did not try to oust Sen. Al Franken in Minnesota, her home state, rather than try for the White House, the Post said.
"You've got to be willing to take on our party, the other party and then explain it to the people," she said. "I know I can make the case to the American people and win them over to our side."
The Post noted Bachmann has said she will make a formal announcement in June, but described her response as "the most definitive answer yet" and one which "eliminated" any doubt that she was preparing to run.
'Rock-ribbed'
She said she was a "rock-ribbed, constitutionalist conservative," according to the Post.
"Obama has to go and has to be replaced, but not just by anyone," she added. "We need someone who is committed to taking that thing out (the health care law), because it is the crown jewel of socialism, and if it's allowed to stand we will never get our country back."
She was speaking to dozens of GOP activists on the lawn of failed gubernatorial candidate Karen Testerman's home in Franklin.
Earlier Monday, at a Memorial Day picnic in Dover, Bachmann hailed those who have served in various conflicts and the authors of the Declaration of Independence.
Referring to that document's reference to "unalienable rights," Bachmann said: "That means the government cannot bestow them, and remember, government cannot take them away."
The Post said "woman after woman" in the crowd of more than 100 Republican activists at the picnic said they hoped Bachmann would try to become the first female president.
"It's time. We are half the population, after all," said Fran Wendelboe, a former state legislator, according to the paper.