U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann avoided remarks about anti-Americanism in Congress as she claimed victory in a speech to supporters at the Minnesota Republican Party’s election night gathering. Her re-election came in spite of the nationwide furor over controversial statements she made on MSNBC’s “Hardball.” Noting that her Democratic challenger Elwyn Tinklenberg had called her to concede the election, Bachmann said, “We’re good to go.” She then thanked children and teenagers who joined her onstage for their help in the last days of the campaign as part of their home-school curriculum, and then issued this more universal statement: “The youth of America are energized and they’re energized around the principal of freedom. They love freedom!”

Video after the jump.

Apologies — a technical glitch that cut off the very end of Bachmann’s speech and her exit from the stage amid more raucous cheering.