Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) disclosed this week that she will suspend her House re-election campaign as she competes for the GOP presidential nomination. But that doesn't mean you can completely count her out for her St. Cloud-area 6th District race.
Bachmann announced during Monday's GOP presidential debate that she had filed paperwork for a formal run and later revealed on her Facebook page that as a result, she "suspended her Congressional campaign and is no longer actively seeking re-election" to the House.
But that doesn't mean she's completely out of the game.
Bachmann will have ample time to resume her House campaign in 2012 if she fails to gain traction in the early presidential nominating contests-- the filing deadline for her Aug. 24 House primary remains open until June 5, according to the secretary of state's website.
Even if Bachmann has challengers for her seat by June, she will still be the instant frontrunner having just secured a national profile in the presidential race. Plus, she could have a large cash advantage--it would be legal for Bachmann to transfer money from a presidential account to a federal campaign account, depending on the types of committees used.
Bachmann is certainly not the first sitting House member to keep her options open.
In the last presidential election alone, two sitting members of Congress--Reps. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) and Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio)--ran for president, failed, and jumped right back into their 2008 House re-election races, which they each won.
Other sitting members, such as Reps. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) chose to announce their retirements from Congress as a testament to their commitment to the 2008 presidential race.
UPDATE: 1:30 p.m. EST: Minnesota GOP Chairman Tony Sutton told Politico's David Catanese that he will keep the field clear for Bachmann.
(Photo of Bachmann: JD Pooley/AP)
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