With the Republican message machine in full swing ahead of tomorrow's special election for Massachusetts' Senate seat, it was only a matter of time before Michele Bachmann joined the chorus.

Speaking to conservative Mississippi talk radio host Sid Salter on his show this evening, Bachmann took a swipe at the late Sen. Ted Kennedy and heralded recent reports that Democrat candidate Martha Coakley was playing catch-up with Republican Scott Brown.

"It is the ultimate political irony that the man who spent his lifetime trying to force socialized medicine on the American people would now see the seat that he occupied taken over by a free market Republican," Bachmann said. "It really is astounding."

Bachmann said she views the election as a referendum on President Obama's first year in office and the policies he has championed -- including health care reform efforts.