Mother of Five Children Making Her Mark in Washington:

A self-proclaimed Constitutional Conservative, Michele Marie Bachmann, a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, ran for the 2012 Republican nomination for president. She holds the distinction of being the first woman to represent the North Star State in Congress. Since 2007 she has represented Minnesota's 6th Congressional District, six counties that extend from Stillwater to beyond Saint Cloud, including several Twin Cities suburbs.

This working mother founded the House Tea Party Caucus in July 2010.

Bachmann is a proponent for tax reform, slashing government spending and limited U.S. government.

Committee Memberships:

With her oath of office to "support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic," Bachmann is committed to keeping Americans safe. Bachmann is a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Financial Services Committee. As a member of the House Financial Services Committee, Bachmann opposed the Wall Street bailout plan and Dodd-Frank legislation.

A traditionalist, she is a right-to-life supporter and views family as "the first unit of government." In fact, one of her first political acts was protesting abortion clinics in the early 1990s.

Prior Government Service:

Before she became a member of the U.S. Congress, Bachmann served in the Minnesota State Senate from 2000 to 2006. Her accomplishments in the state Senate include championing the Taxpayers Bill of Rights.

She has called Phyllis Schlafly -- a lawyer, author and conservative who founded the Eagle Forum -- the most important woman of the 20th Century. "Whatever Phyllis Schlafly says, it's important that we listen. Because she is there on every issue, every front. She is our hero, our heroine, our stalwart," said Bachmann on NBC News.

Her Critics:

Bachmann has come under fire for her criticism of the HPV vaccine. She claimed on national television that the vaccine causes serious health risks. Other criticism of Bachmann stems from her disagreement on strategy and policies with other Republicans. In fact, she's gained much media coverage for her disagreements with her own political party.

Due to her vocal opposition on various issues, she failed to gain the support of her three fellow Minnesota members of Congress in her bid for the Republican presidential nomination. However, she won the Iowa GOP straw poll in August.

Michele Bachmann's Background:

Born Michele Marie Amble in Waterloo, Iowa on April 6, 1956, she was raised in a family of Norwegian Lutheran Democrats. At the age of 13, she was brought to Minnesota by her parents, David John Amble, and the former Jean Johnson, who later divorced. Her mother remarried and she was raised in a family of nine children.

After graduating from Anoka High School in 1974, she expressed a great interest in the Holy Land, which led her to work on a kibbutz in Israel. In 1978, Bachmann obtained a B.A from Winona State College. In 1986 she earned her juris doctorate from Oral Roberts University. She furthered her education with an L.L.M. degree in tax law from the William & Mary School of Law.

Bachmann: Wife and Mother

In 1978, she married Marcus Bachmann, a psychologist who earned his doctorate from Union Graduate School. He operates a Christian counseling center in Minnesota. The pair, now married for over 30 years, met while they were in undergraduate school.

The Bachmanns live in Stillwater, Minnesota, and have five children: Lucas, Harrison, Elisa, Caroline and Sophia. In addition, the couple has also cared for 23 foster children.

State-licensed to handle up to three foster children at a time, the Bachmanns initiated their foster family by providing short-term care for female teenagers with eating disorders who were referred to them through a University of Minnesotatreatment program.

Before becoming a politician, Bachmann worked as an attorney for the Internal Revenue Service. As a federal tax litigation attorney, she worked on many civil and criminal cases. She left her job as an attorney for the IRS after her fourth child was born. Bachmann assisted in creating a charter school for at-risk children in Minnesota. However, the school came under fire from local parents who said the school's teaching were too deeply rooted in Christian teachings.

Sources: Wikipedia, Michele Bachmann's official website, CBS News.com, NBC News, New York Times, Associated Press, Biography.com