U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann Wednesday said she was thrilled, excited and grateful that Sarah Palin is coming to town to help her campaign.

"It's going to be spectacular," Bachmann said in an interview a few hours before the start of the Minneapolis convention center rally where Palin and Bachmann will speak to at least 10,000 fans (State GOP officials said Tuesday they given away 10,000 tickets; Bachmann said "I think well over 11,000 have gone out the door.")

"She has generated a tremendous amount of excitement and I'm extremely grateful that she is willing to make me a priority to help me raise money for my next election this fall," she said. "People are very concerned about all of the out of control spending and the deficits that have been piling up and they want to see our country get back on a sound financial footing. I think we are going to see a lot of people concerned and looking for a message of hope to return to some financial sanity."

As to Democrats' criticism that she has ignored the needs of the 6th District for sake of national politics, Bachmann said: "They are making deeply false statements because nearly every weekend I am here in the district meeting with someone, somewhere all across the 6th District. And people know that. Democrats, independents, Republicans. I am consistently hearing more and more how grateful people are for the strong resistance I've put up against all of this out of control spending but also against the federal government take over of one private industry sector after another."

What is it that gets people so excited about Palin and Bachmann?

"I think because...I have been very open about talking about the policies that President Obama has put into place they have clearly brought about high unemployment and the economy is just not coming out of the doldrums that it should have by now and I think people appreciate the fact that I've been calling the administration on these very bad policies," Bachmann said.

To prognosticators who predict Palin and Bachmann will deliver the toughest anti-Obama message yet at the rally: "I hope that's true. I hope they're right."