She told hundreds gathered at a Charleston town hall that her proven record of standing up to special interests trumps a background of governing that Perry and Romney bring to the table.

“That’s the experience you want to have,” Bachmann said, referring to her stand-up record. “Not someone who’s going to just manage all of this big government. Because you can put a Republican in there to manage big government but you’re never going to have the United States as a big prosperous, big-dog-in-the-world again if you do that,” she said.