Bachmann: Palin not a 'competitor'

It doesn't matter that it's a race to the top, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) doesn't consider Sarah Palin a competitor.

I think there's enough room for a lot of contenders. And I think there's no question in 2012, the Republicans will field a wide bench of contenders against President Obama, Bachmann said on Tuesday in an interview with ABC's Good Morning America. And I think the comparison will be very favorable.

Bachmann, who is expected to announce her campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in New Hampshire next month, said her focus is not on her friend Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, but rather on the president.

I compare myself to Barack Obama. Not to any of the other Republican candidates, she said.

Both women are Tea Party favorites, causing many to speculate whether Palin and Bachmann would ultimately undercut each other by touting similar messages and splitting the voter base.

Bachmann and Palin have also, similarly, risen to prominence in recent years with public denunciations of the Obama administration, the Obama healthcare law, and their calls to cut back spending.

Palin, who is on tour of northeastern historical sites, has yet to indicate whether she will mount a challenge for the nation's highest government office.