A Tea Party favorite and once considered a presidential contender -- Michele Bachmann is calling it quits.<br/> SOUNDBITE (English) MICHELE BACHMANN, MINNESOTA CONGRESSWOMAN, SAYING:<br/> "The people of Iowa spoke with a very clear voice and so I have decided to stand aside and I believe that if we are going to repeal Obamacare, turn our country around and take back our country, we must do so united."<br/> The Minnesota congresswoman is stepping down from the race for the Republican presidential nomination -- after finishing in sixth place in the Iowa caucuses with just 5 percent of the vote.<br/> SOUNDBITE (English) MICHELE BACHMANN, MINNESOTA CONGRESSWOMAN, SAYING:<br/> "And while I will not be continuing in this race for the presidency, my faith in the Lord God Almighty, this country and our republic is unshakable."<br/> Bachmann -- popular among social conservatives and evangelicals -- shot to the top of polls in August after winning the the so-called "Straw Poll" in Iowa ....but later suffered from staff departures and fundraising troubles.<br/> Leading the pack into next week's Republican contest in New Hampshire -- former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who eked out a win over former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum in Iowa by a slim 8 votes.<br/> Katharine Jackson, Reuters.
