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Esme's Blog: Bachmann Surges

By Esme Murphy, WCCO-TV

Anyone who has any doubt about Rep. Michele Bachmann pulling off a presidential bid can bury those doubts now. A leak yesterday that Bachmann might someday create an exploratory committee to examine a race for President landed her a front page analysis on the New York Times website today.

The article looks at who would be hurt and who would be helped by her run. The conclusion essentially is that everyone from the Republican Party -- her likely Republican opponents including Tim Pawlenty, Mike Huckabee, and Sarah Palin -- would all be hurt.

And who would be helped? Why Michele Bachmann, herself, of course. After smashing fundraising records in her 2010 Congressional race, Bachmann has a national fundraising machine of her own creation at her disposal. All this from a three-term congresswoman from a sprawling exurban district in what some of the rest of the country considers flyover country.

Blunders like referring to Concord, N.H. as the site of the first shot of the Revolutionary War seem to have no impact on her supporters.

Michele Bachman the GOP nominee? A long shot. Or maybe not.

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