Bachmann White House bid will depend on 'inner assurance'

Conservative GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) said her decision whether to run for president will depend on an "inner assurance."

Bachmann gave a cryptic reply when asked in an interview what will determine if she enters the potentially crowded GOP primary field, though she indicated it would depend much on her family.

"I think it will be an inner assurance, more than anything, of what I am supposed to do," Bachmann told Christian Broadcasting Network in an interview posted Friday.

"This is a decision that would have a ramification in a wide way [for] both my husband and myself and our children. And we would have to think through very seriously and know that this is the right step to take," she said. "Until we know that, we will not pursue that path."

Bachmann has demonstrated a large amount of interest in the 2012 presidential race. She is visiting New Hampshire, a key early primary state, in March to attend a state GOP fundraiser.

The Tea Party favorite sparked talk of a potential presidential bid when she announced last month that she would visit Iowa, another important early state. 

Her decision to give her own televised response to the State of the Union, which was sponsored by the group Tea Party Express, fueled that speculation. 

"I'm choosing to go to the early primary states to talk about why we can't have a second term for Barack Obama," Bachmann told New Hampshire-based WMUR this week. "I think many people across the nation are happy we only had one term for Jimmy Carter, and I think that's the feeling of a lot of people across the country when it comes to Barack Obama."