Minnesota Lawyer
Michele Bachmann
Just weeks removed from her failed bid for the Republican presidential nomination, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann has decided she’ll make another run for her seat in Congress this fall, the lawmaker told the Associated Press Wednesday.
“I’m looking forward to coming back and bringing a strong, powerful voice to Washington, D.C.,” Bachmann told the A.P. “We have to radically scale back on government spending, we have to radically cut back on debt accumulation.”
The news comes days after Bachmann’s first public appearance in Minnesota at a pro-life rally marking the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Bachmann gave a rousing speech to at least hundreds of abortion opponents — a core constituency — but at the time told reporters she was undecided on whether she’d make a run this November. She also appeared on Fox News Tuesday night to criticize President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address.
Bachmann’s decision will almost surely put an end to consideration among a host of Republican officials in Minnesota, particularly those living within the 6th Congressional District’s current political boundaries, about making a run for her seat themselves. A number of names had been floated as considering a run, and while many had not ruled it out, none had taken a step toward announcing a candidacy either, apparently in deference to Bachmann.
Some had thought Bachmann would at least wait to make a decision on any future run for Congress until new district lines are released by a special five-judge panel next month. The plans, expected to be released Feb. 21, could significantly alter Bachmann’s district, since it is expected to have to lose as many as 100,000 people because of the growth it experienced since 2000.
One plan, put forward by DFLers, would have paired Bachmann with U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, the Democrat who mostly represents St. Paul. Observers say the chances that a court would adopt such a plan are slim, though.
Still, Bachmann will face a different district than she’s represented in her first terms in Congress. And although she remains popular among its heavily conservative voters, a poll out this week shows that Minnesotans more broadly have come to view her in an increasingly negative light since she made a run for the White House.
Bachmann has just 34 percent statewide favorability, according to the Public Policy Polling survey released Tuesday, compared with 57 percent of voters viewing her negatively. A similar proportion (57 percent) think she should not run for office again this November.
Some had also speculated she might consider a challenge to ultra-popular Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is among the most popular senators in the country, at least according to the most recent PPP poll. That survey found a preference for Klobuchar in 58 percent of respondents, compared to 35 percent who chose Bachmann.
A challenge to U.S. Sen. Al Franken in 2014 could prove a more viable race for Bachmann, at least by some calculations. But the PPP poll also found her lagging in such a hypothetical match-up by similar, if smaller, margin: 54 percent to 39 percent.
