MINNEAPOLIS — U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann is headed back to Washington, but the Tea Party favorite’s toughest race yet suggests a new vulnerability in the wake of her failed presidential run.

Bachmann barely won a fourth term despite vastly outspending an upstart Democrat running his first race. She turned out to be less popular with her constituents than GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney or even a gay marriage ban she championed.

Bachmann seemed to acknowledge as much Wednesday, promising a “laser-like” focus on her job.

“In my next term, I’ll continue to work every day to create jobs for the people in my district and for the people in our nation, while doing everything I can to be an unwavering voice in Washington for our constitutional conservative values,” Bachmann said in a statement.

She didn’t respond to interview requests.