{mosads}Hours after Palin announced she was not running for president in 2012, Bachmann called her a friend and said she would have been welcome in the GOP race had she chosen to run.

The political world has long been filled with chatter and speculation about a rivalry between Bachmann and Palin, two of the country’s most prominent conservative female politicians who both have expressed White House aspirations and affiliated themselves with the Tea Party movement.

Palin’s decision not to run is a net positive for Bachmann, who could have seen some of her supporters flock to Palin had she entered the race.