Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann was barely a blip in a Saturday straw poll among Florida Republicans. In a field of eight presidential candidates, she finished last with 1.5 percent of the vote. Businessman Herman Cain won the contest with 37 percent. Texas Gov. Rick Perry finished a distant second.

Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann says she’s in the campaign for the long term. The day after the latest GOP candidate debate Bachmann insists the race consists of more than front-runners Rick Perry and Mitt Romney. Bachmann is skipping the Florida straw poll, saying the balloting there is too narrow.

A fundraising report released Friday covering July through September shows former Gov. Tim Pawlenty has nearly half a million dollars in campaign debt. The former GOP hopeful left the race after a disappointing third-place finish at the Ames, Iowa straw poll in August.

All four Republican presidential hopefuls have a chance at winning Minnesota's caucuses Tuesday. A new survey by Public Policy Polling shows Rick Santorum with a slight lead over Mitt Romney, followed by Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul.

A double-whammy for congresswoman Michelle Bachmann. She finished second to Herman Cain in a GOP straw poll in Bloomington. Cain had 52 percent, while Bachmann had 12 percent. She also finished poorly at a straw poll at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. -- Bachmann was fifth, with 8 percent of the vote.

The tight race at the top of the ticket will have no bearing on the Iowa Caucus results for Michele Bachmann. After taking the Iowa Straw Poll in August, Bachmann returned to Iowa to finish in sixth place. When asked by the Associated Press whether she would continue on her campaign manager said 'I don't know yet.'

Minnesota Republicans will meet this weekend to endorse a challenger to U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. Texas Governor and former presidential candidate Rick Perry thinks they should back Army National Guard Captain Pete Hegseth. But Hegseth's competitors - Dan Severson and Kurt Bills - also have the backing of current or former presidential candidates.