Bachmann Drops Out of Race

Rep. Michele Bachmann, who finished a disappointing sixth in Tuesday's Iowa caucuses, announced that she is dropping out of the race for presdient at a press conference in Iowa Wednesday.

"Last night, the people of Iowa spoke with a very clear voice," Bachmann said. "And so I have decided to stand aside."

Bachmann had , but her end for the presidential bid also put an end to her S.C. trip.

S.C. campaign adviser Wesley Donehue said Bachmann's drop from the race is "disappointing." 

"We worked hard to put a ground game together here," said Donehue, who . "We put together a momentum-catcher, but there was no momentum to catch from Iowa. It's disappointing, but that's the way politics works." 

"South Carolinians are going to come together to find a conservative to beat Obama," Donehue added. 

In her speech Wednesday, Bachmann echoed the same sentiment. She said that voters need to choose a person they believe can repeal Obamacare -- an issue that the congresswoman made one of her key platforms.

"And I believe that if we are going to repeal Obamacare, turn our country around and take back our country, we must do so united," Bachmann said. "And I believe we must rally around the person that our country, our party and our people select." 

With Bachmann's exit from the race, it's unclear who her supporters will back. 

Preston Baines, Lexington County chairman for the Bachmann campaign, said he thinks most Bachmann supporters will switch their allegiance to either Rick Santorum or Mitt Romney.

Baines said Rick Santorum is the most natural second choice for Bachmann supporters. Plus, he's gaining momentum after coming in second in the Iowa caucuses.

But, more likely, Mitt Romney will win over the Bachmann supporters, Baines said. In fact, Baines said Romney already won some votes from would-be Bachmann supporters.

"A lot of people say they like Bachmann, but they just decided they weren't going to support her because they thought she couldn't win," Baines said.

Bachmann faced calls to quit the race on Tuesday from several sides, including her own former adviser.

But a little more than a week ago,  And Tuesday night, .

Kelly Payne, Richland County chair for the campaign, said Bachmann campaigned hard in the Palmetto state. 

"Bachmann could tell you from the first of her campaign what she will do her first day in office," Payne said. "She shook hands until she had to put Band-Aids on her blisters, however, it wasn’t enough."

"Bachmann’s hard fall was an inevitable culmination of both a fracture in the evangelical base and a series of campaign missteps," Payne said.

Bachmann's drop from the race could leave the field open for other candidates, such as .