While Michele Bachmann retired from Congress, she has not stayed out of the political limelight. Last July,
according to CNN, she told RealClearPolitics that there’s a chance she could run against the “various men” that the media has speculated to run for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016. By October she was claiming this was a “rhetorical comment.”
If she does choose to throw her name in for 2016, what are Michele Bachmann’s chances? The following comments are what some leading pundits have said about this potential presidential candidate.
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1. According to a July 2014 Washington Post article, the Center for American Women and Politics compiled a list of women who have mounted serious bids for president since 1872. Their assessment of Bachman for president in 2016 was this: “So for Bachmann, who was the only woman on stage in the gazillion 2012 GOP debates, there’s no reason she shouldn’t run in 2016. If Texas Gov. Rick Perry can rehabilitate his oops image and run again, then perhaps Bachmann can do the same, helping to subtly change ideas about women and politics, and offering a conservative take on women’s issues.”
2. Columnist P.J. O’Rourke put Bachmann as well as Sarah Palin in his November 2014 list of top 10 potential presidential contenders for 2016. He wrote, “How long has it been since the Republican Party had a smoking hot presidential ticket? Sure, they’re crazy. But 42.9 million Americans over age 18 suffer some form of mental illness. That’s 30 percent of the popular vote.”
3. During Bachmann’s 2012 run for the Republican presidential nomination, many questioned her credibility. In a March 2011 roundtable discussion on "This Week," Jake Tapper said he considered Bachmann a legitimate presidential candidate who “walks the walk” in terms of her religion and her foster care work.
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4. On the flip side during the 2012 election campaign, more than once George Will dismissed Michele Bachmann as a serious contender. In August 2011 on ABC’s "This Week," he said Barack Obama would have an easier time in the general election defeating Bachmann than Rick Perry because the “threshold question in any presidential race” is “[s]hould this person have control of nuclear weapons.”
5. When Bachman decided to leave Congress rather than seek re-election in 2014,
Andrew Zarowny of RightPundits.com noted how Democrats always bashed her and referred to an ongoing investigation into her 2012 presidential campaign by the Federal Election Commission. In his May 30, 2013, article, Zarowny said, “Bachmann is among the favorites of the Tea Party, along with Sarah Palin and Allen West. So will liberals miss not having her to kick around anymore?”
Whether she throws her conservative hat into the 2016 election ring or not, Bachmann will most likely continue to draw strong opinions from politicos.
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