Go Michelle

[bonnie]

Bachmann considering White House bid, aides say

Aides say she has made no decision. But 'nothing is off the table.'

By KEVIN DIAZ and JEREMY HERB, Star Tribune

Rep. Michele Bachmann

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WASHINGTON - Fresh off winning re-election and proving she can raise massive amounts of campaign cash, Rep. Michele Bachmann is beginning to consider a presidential run, according to close congressional aides.

As part of that effort, the Minnesota Republican is traveling to the early caucus state of Iowa on Jan. 21 to confer with state GOP leaders and address a group of conservative tax activists.

That will put her in Iowa a week before former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has spent nearly two years laying the groundwork and building credentials for a possible presidential campaign. He heads to New York next week to roll out a book tour.

While Bachmann has made no firm decision about a White House bid in 2012, "nothing is off the table," press aide Sergio Gor told the Star Tribune Wednesday, confirming an earlier ABC News report that quoted Bachmann chief of staff Andy Parrish.

Asked about a potential White House bid, Bachmann answered indirectly. "I'm continuing speaking out on the issues just as I have for the last few years," Bachmann told the Star Tribune. "Part of that will include going to Iowa and some of the caucus states. My commitment level remains the same, and that's to making sure that President Obama doesn't have a second term."

Bachmann, who was born in Waterloo, Iowa, has deep roots in the state.

She is scheduled to be the headliner at the Iowans for Tax Relief PAC fundraiser in Des Moines, according to her aides.

Whether or not Bachmann ultimately decides to make an insurgent run for the GOP nomination -- something political analysts rate as a longshot -- her aides say she intends to play a leading role in the effort to oust President Obama.

Bigger picture

"The Iowa trip is part of a bigger picture, there's a national story line here," said Bachmann communications director Doug Sachtleben, a worked on Republican Christine O'Donnell's high-profile but fruitless U.S. Senate bid in Delaware. Bachmann, he said, "really wants to take these opportunities to speak against President Obama and his policies. There have been a lot of grassroots efforts to encourage her to be a leader in that, and Iowa is part of that."

Obama, Sachtleben said, "is going to need to be replaced by a conservative, constitutionally-based candidate for president. That's what she's speaking to."

Bachmann, who was sworn-in for her third term in Congress Wednesday, traveled to Grand Rapids, Mich., last week to campaign for state party chairman Bobby Schostak.

"She knows how important the 2012 presidential election is and what a vital role Michigan will play in it," Parrish said in an e-mail last week. "It's never too early to rally the grassroots, and that is what she is doing."

Talk of Bachmann's interest in the White House came as a mild surprise to political analysts, who have seen her as a more likely challenger to U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a DFLer who faces reelection in 2012.

It also comes soon after House GOP Leaders turned their backs on her efforts to chair the House GOP conference and win a seat on the powerful Ways and Means Committee.

"It seems to me she's been floated for every possible office except Queen of England," said Washington political analyst Stuart Rothenberg.

Klobuchar, who could face a costly reelection campaign against Bachmann, declined to comment on Bachmann's presidential prospects.

U.S. Rep. John Kline, the dean of the Minnesota GOP delegation to Congress, said "anybody who's interested is welcome to explore it and see what support they can gather." But, Kline added, "I'm supporting Pawlenty."

A spokesman for Pawlenty did not respond to a request for comment.

Both Pawlenty and Bachmann were originally included in a straw poll of presidential aspirants at the Values Voter Summit in Washington in September. Both dropped out: Pawlenty cited his trade mission to Asia; Bachmann said she was running for Congress, not the White House.

Whatever Bachmann's current intentions, analysts see little downside in her decision to float a presidential bid. "It will get a lot of attention, because she is a national figure, and she likes it when a camera goes on," Rothenberg said.

Bachmann's record of prodigious fundraising, inflammatory pronouncements on cable TV talk shows, and her founding of the House Tea Party Caucus have cemented the affection of conservative activists nationwide and sparked at least one website encouraging her to run for president.

Michael Snyder, a blogger from Carnation, Wash., started a blog more than a year ago titled "Michele Bachmann for President in 2012." While he's never met Bachmann, Snyder said he created the blog because of her staunchly conservative stances on fiscal and social issues.

"Her message really resonates with the Tea Party movement," said Snyder, adding that Bachmann was a stronger candidate than another female conservative who has received lots of attention over a potential 2012 run -- former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the GOP's vice-presidential candidate in 2008.

"Michele Bachmann seems to outshine Sarah Palin in a lot of ways, even though she's not as well known," Snyder said. "She's got a lot more credentials, and she seems to hold up better in public debate."

Sachtleben said he did not know if Bachmann has talked about the presidency with Palin, who enjoys many of the same supporters. A Palin representative did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Bachmann raised $13.2 million in her 2010 reelection bid, shattering House records and out-fundraising most Senate candidates. She still has nearly $2 million cash on hand, which has stoked speculation of a Senate run against Klobuchar. Bachmann's cash would also be transferrable to a presidential campaign.

Pawlenty has raised $3.3 million through the political action committee he started Sept. 2009. The money raised through that committee, the Freedom First PAC, cannot be transferred to a presidential race.

"She could generate a lot of grassroots support around the country," Rothenberg said. "That said, she has zero chance of being elected president."

Kathryn Pearson, a University of Minnesota political scientist, said Bachmann weighing a presidential bid serves as a reminder to national Republicans who rejected her earlier bid for House leadership that she remains a national figure.

"This doesn't mean she's a serious contender," said Pearson. "But it does serve as a reminder that she has a strong national profile among conservative Republicans and among particularly Republicans that identify with the tea party."

Kevin Diaz is a correspondent in the Star Tribune Washington Bureau.

[Dr. Shane]

Michelle is a bit extreme. We need folks like her in Congress but not the White House. Well, maybe if she is a good cook Obama might let her in the kitchen.