Is Bachmann Done ?

I don't think many people on either side of the political spectrum gave Michele Bachmann much of a chance of getting the Republican nomination for the presidency, let alone unseating President Obama, when she tossed her tin-foil hat in the ring last year. And she lived down to those expectations, running a disastrous mistake-prone campaign. After a brief flirtation with her in the Iowa straw poll, even the teabaggers realized her campaign was a joke and they abandoned her. After competing in only one state (Iowa), she realized the impossibility of her situation and dropped out of the race.

But Bachmann and her few supporters were not ready for her to fade into history. She liked her brief time in the spotlight and wanted more of it. For a brief time, there was some hope she would enter the senate race against Amy Klobuchar. But poll results quickly ended that dream. For example, the Public Policy Polling survey in Minnesota showed Bachmann trailing Klobuchar by 58% to 35% -- a whopping 23 point deficit.

In fact, it seems that her pitiful presidential run has ruined any hope she might have had at a statewide office. Only 34% of Minnesotans view her favorably now, while 57% view her negatively. And most Minnesota voters don't even want her to run for her old House seat again either -- with 57% saying she shouldn't run and only 37% saying she should run.

Bachmann has decided to defy the statewide verdict on her candidacy, and she has announced she will be running for re-election to the House of Representatives. Could she be re-elected to Congress? Has her disastrous and embarrassing run for the presidential nomination hurt her in the district she would represent? Nobody knows, because the Minnesota congressional redistricting has not been completed. No one else has announced a run for her House seat yet, but that is probably because no one knows just where the district lines will be yet.

I suspect she has suffered some damage from her presidential run, but we won't know how serious that damage is until the district lines are finalized and we see who will be running against her. Let's hope the Democrats are able to find and finance a strong candidate in her district.