Republican senator leads battle from Stillwater base

With the recent boycott of Stillwater's downtown shopping district and a fight this week over seats on the city's human-rights commission, the birthplace of Minnesota suddenly finds itself thrust onto center stage of the state's gay-rights debate.

The controversy can all be traced to Sen. Michele Bachmann, R-Stillwater, whose knack for picking hot-button social issues has made her a rising star in the Republican Party and a focus of outrage from those on the political left.

Bachmann is leading the charge for a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Some say she is positioning herself to run for Congress. Her critics say she is promoting hate, bigotry and discrimination in the state.

Bachmann downplays speculation about her political future and is handling the criticism and controversy in her hometown with aplomb.

When some area gays and lesbians called last month for shoppers to stay away from downtown stores as a way to pressure Bachmann to change her mind on gay marriage, she invited "pro-family" supporters to Stillwater to shop.

Earlier this week, applications to the city's normally low-profile Human Rights Commission from two Bachmann advocates sparked applications from two gay-rights supporters, leading to a heated City Council debate over the proper makeup of the board.

City leaders say they would prefer Stillwater not be a battleground in the gay-rights debate.

"The city did not ask for this attention," said Mayor Jay Kimble. "It's not a Stillwater issue — it's a state and federal issue — and it's unfortunate that this beautiful and historic small river town is having to endure this publicity on an issue which we can do absolutely nothing about."

Bachmann, 48, grew up in Waterloo, Iowa; both parents were Democrats. She says she realized she was a Republican during her college days while riding an Amtrak train from the metro area to Winona State University.

"I was reading a book, '1876' by Gore Vidal, and what he was writing about just didn't ring true," she said. "I remember thinking, 'You are such a fraud. What you're writing about isn't true,' and I remember looking out the window and thinking 'Am I becoming a Republican?' "

Bachmann now keeps a framed painting of Ronald Reagan behind her meticulously kept desk at the State Office Building. She graduated from Winona State in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in political science and English. In 1986, she graduated from the Coburn School of Law in Tulsa, Okla., at Oral Roberts University. She also has a post-doctorate degree in tax law from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.

Her first foray into politics was in 1999. She was one of five Republican-endorsed candidates for the Stillwater School Board who ran on their opposition to the state's Profile of Learning graduation standards. All five were defeated.

Bachmann upset longtime Republican Sen. Gary Laidig to gain the party's endorsement in 2000 and then defeated Democratic candidate Ted Thompson that fall. In 2002, she defeated DFL Sen. Jane Krentz in the newly redrawn District 52.

She and her husband, Marcus, moved to Stillwater's Oak Glen neighborhood in 1992. They have five children and have been foster parents to 23 others.

An active member of Salem Lutheran Church in Stillwater, Bachmann has called for a return to Christian principles and for posting the Ten Commandments in public schools and buildings.

Bachmann said she took on the gay-marriage issue because of her concerns for children.

"They need to enjoy as much of their childhood as they can without having someone else with an agenda step into their life and destroy their innocence," she said.

If gay marriages were allowed in Minnesota, Bachmann says, public schools would be forced to teach that "same-sex marriage is normal, natural and maybe children should consider that."

Supporters say Bachmann has an uncanny ability to tap into social issues that resonate with her conservative base.

"She has an amazing ability to put her finger on the issues that people are genuinely concerned about," said Sen. Brian LeClair, R-Woodbury, who has sat next to Bachmann in the Senate for the past two years and shares many of her views.

Gay-rights advocates say Bachmann's statements against same-sex marriage have hurt gay families and fostered intolerance in the state.

"Whenever somebody in a leadership position makes the kinds of statements about GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) people and their families that she has made, that unleashes other statements that are extreme," said Ann De-Groot, executive director of OutFront Minnesota, a group that advocates for gay and lesbian rights. DeGroot noted that a sign at a recent pro-family rally read "Death Penalty for Homosexuals."

"Part of my concern," said Ted Thompson, who lost to Bachmann in 2000, "is that by using wedge issues to get attention, she forgets that there are human beings and families that she is hurting in her effort."

Bachmann responded to this criticism, saying, "I am committed to conducting myself in this debate in the most respectful way possible. It used to be when we had disagreements, it was called debate and democracy. Now we're told disagreements are a mark of bigotry and hatred. I prefer democracy."

Last week, while the Senate was not in session, Bachmann brought supporters to the Senate chamber for a "pray-in" over the desks of those they believed would not be voting for her gay-marriage amendment, DeGroot said.

"She is trying to blur the line between what is religion and what is government," she said. "It surprises me that an elected official would do that."

"I want an opportunity for people of every faith and no faith in particular to vote on this issue," she said.

Washington County Commissioner Bill Pulkrabek, a Republican Party operative who managed Bachmann's first campaign — her failed run for school board — is one of many who say Bachmann is positioning herself for a run for higher office.

Her name is one of the first mentioned as a 6th District congressional contender should U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy choose to run against U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton in 2006.

"Every evening and every weekend she's talking to some group around the state," said Sen. Dick Day, R-Owatonna. "That's her trademark around here."

Sen. Bill Belanger, R-Bloomington and the ranking member of the Tax Committee, said Bachmann played up to a recent crowd of supporters who had come for a pro-family rally.

"She made a motion to remove (her gay-marriage bill) from the Judiciary Committee onto the full floor of Senate when there was a gallery full of people from the rally," he said. "We knew that she knew the motion was going to fail. We know what she's doing."

"She's unusual in that she appears to spend as much of her time working with external special-interest groups — helping them organize to put pressure on legislators to advance the conservative agenda," said Sen. Sheila Kiscaden, I-Rochester, of Bachmann.

"She certainly is a rising star in the conservative movement," Kiscaden said. "She's bright, she's attractive, articulate and clearly a force to be reckoned with. She appears to have incredible political organization skills. She has chosen a few issues where she is the spokesman. Generally, in the Senate, people concentrate on the work in the Senate, and she concentrates on making herself well known and bringing pressure to bear."

"My plans are to get through to 2006. This is my only plan right now, to get this (gay-marriage issue) on the ballot."

As of Thursday, conservative groups that support the bill still were trying to find a way to maneuver it into position for a floor vote before the session ends May 17. Bachmann said she would push the issue until the gavel comes down.

Profile of Learning: Campaigned against the series of graduation standards, which were repealed in 2003.

Gay marriage: Authored a proposed constitutional amendment this year defining marriage as only the union between one man and one woman.

Taxpayer's Bill of Rights: Bachmann, a former U.S. Treasury tax attorney, also authored this amendment, which would limit how much governments can spend and give voters the right to approve tax increases. The Taxpayers League was the main proponent of the controversial bill, which appears to be dead this session.

Mary Divine covers Washington County. She can be reached at mdivine@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5443.

Thanks for the ping.

Bachmann upset longtime Republican Sen. Gary Laidig to gain the party's endorsement in 2000

I was there at the endorsing convention when this mom in tennis shoes politely asked for the microphone, ripped into the Profiles of Learning with a chainsaw, and wound up beating Laidig for the endorsement by one vote. I was one of the last to vote and I like to think it was my vote that put her over the top. (Laidig, in final proof that he really was a RINO, demanded a recount, and when he lost that, stormed out of the convention loudly threatening to sue everyone there and their dog.)

I've since had the opportunity to meet and chat with Mrs. Bachmann many times, and if she were to announce that she's running for higher office, I would support her campaign in a heartbeat. If you are looking a genuine conservative Minnesota politician to support, she is the real deal.

Say, I've got a great idea. Why don't we live Mark Kennedy where he is and run Michelle against Mark Dayton? In a head-to-head debate, she could rip his lungs out without chipping a nail.

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