Tagged: Michelle Bachmann

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Less than two years ago, Michele Bachmann's star seemed to be rising. The Republican congresswoman from Minnesota was full of energy and delighted her supporters - many in the Tea Party - when she announced she was running for president. Now her presidential bid is being investigated. She won her congressional seat back - barely - and now she's announced she won't run again next year.

This has taken people by surprise, especially in her home district. Minnesota public radio's Conrad Wilson reports.

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann's announcement Wednesday that she won't seek a fifth term unleashed a torrent of tweets and blog posts on the left lampooning the short-lived 2012 presidential candidate.

Yet the response — her retirement effectively dominated the news cycle — provided a glimpse of Bachmann's impact on Washington.