Bachmann says she is 'going to different perch'

Retiring U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann says she isn't going away, she's "just going to a different perch."

The Republican gave the keynote address Friday night during the 6th Congressional District's GOP convention in Monticello. Delegates are expected to endorse their preferred successor Saturday.

The St. Cloud Times reports that Bachmann told the crowd she rarely struggled with a vote in Congress because she knew herself and her district.

Fellow politicians and supporters praised her work, saying she'd be missed.

Bachmann is a leading figure in the tea party movement. She announced last May that her fourth term in Congress would be her last, choosing to leave on her own terms after an 18-month period in which her presidential bid collapsed and she barely managed to retain her House seat.