Michele Bachmann to Leave House After Four Terms

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann announced Wednesday that her fourth term in Congress will be her last, choosing to leave on her own terms after a dismal 18 months in which her presidential bid collapsed and she barely managed to retain her House seat.

Bachmann, a leading figure in the tea party movement, discussed the decision in a video sent to supporters by email. She said her departure was unrelated to ethics inquiries stemming from the failed presidential run and “was not influenced by any concerns about my being re-elected.”

After eight years in Washington, Bachmann left the door open to other political options, though she didn’t say what those might be. She was traveling in Russia as part of a congressional delegation and was not available for interviews.

It was a sudden turn for Bachmann, the foster-parent-turned-conservative politician whose climb to prominence
roughly coincided with the rise of the tea party. She swiftly became a face of the movement and helped found the tea party caucus in the House. But she was also at risk of being left behind as the movement matured.

Her departure is part of a larger shift in tea party personalities such as former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former Rep. Allen West of Florida and former South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, who have moved over into conservative organizations and commentary roles. They’ve slowly been replaced by a new round of tea party-backed lawmakers such as Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah and Rep. Raul Labrador of Idaho.

“The movement had moved past her to a new round of leaders in Congress and the states around the country,” said Dick Wadhams, a Colorado-based Republican strategist. “In a short period of time, a new generation has stepped forward since the last election.”

Ron Carey, a former chief of staff to Bachmann, said he suspects she was anticipating a tough battle ahead and seemed to be stuck in place in Congress.

“This is a great chance to exit stage right rather than have a knockdown, drag-out re-election fight,” said Carey, also an former state GOP chairman. “The reality also set in that she is not a favorite of Republican leadership, so she is not going to be rising up to a committee chair.”

This article appeared in print on page 1 of the May 30th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.