Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., is not only an American citizen, but as of March 19, a Swiss citizen too.
The dual citizenship for Bachmann stems from her husband Marcus gaining Swiss citizenship. Once that happened, Michele Bachmann was automatically a Swiss citizen too,
Politico reports.
“My husband is 100 percent Swiss, and his parents were raised in Switzerland. They were married there, they came to the United States, they bought a farm in Wisconsin, and raised their three sons there,” Michele Bachman told a Swiss TV station Tuesday.
Her office said the decision is really about the couple’s children. Their three youngest also are now automatically Swiss citizens, and their two eldest can apply for a fast-track citizenship process.
“Congresswoman Bachmann’s husband is of Swiss descent, so she has been eligible for dual-citizenship since they got married in 1978,” Bachmann spokeswoman Becky Rogness told Politico. “However, recently some of their children wanted to exercise their eligibility for dual-citizenship so they went through the process as a family,”
Bachmann is now eligible to run for office in Switzerland. Asked if she might do so, the former presidential candidate quipped that her opposition “would be very stiff, because they are very good,” referring to Swiss parliament members that appeared with her at the interview.
Each Swiss citizen belongs to a canton, and for Bachmann it’s Thurgau in the Northeast. “It’s tough to find a place not to like in Switzerland,” she said.
Bachmann exited the presidential race this year after the Iowa caucuses.
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