Editorial: Time for Bachmann to step aside

• Bachmann

Aaron Hagen/Daily Globe GOP presidential candidate, Rep. Michele Bachmann (right), R-Minn, greets supporters during a campaign stop at Pizza Ranch in Sibley, Iowa.

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Since winning the Iowa straw poll last August, it’s been a bumpy GOP presidential campaign ride for Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann.

Going into Tuesday night’s Iowa caucuses, Bachmann was polling near or at the bottom of the field of Republicans seeking their party’s nomination. Yet, as The Associated Press reported Tuesday, Bachmann expressed confidence during an Iowa campaign stop that morning, saying. “We’re moving forward because this election is far from over. This is the opening chapter. Tonight is the first vote. We’ve got a long road to go.”

Bachmann is right about one thing. There is, indeed, a long way to go in this campaign, and given the way the tide has continually shifted in terms of preferred GOP candidates, Bachmann has decent enough reason to at least state publicly she is still in contention.

The reality, however, is that she isn’t, and likely never was. It has always been difficult to imagine Bachmann emerging with her party’s nomination, even when she was surging in polls early on. The organization of her campaign, as well as the resources, have both also waned dramatically over recent weeks, and are unlikely to improve given her short-term outlook.

It has become time for Bachmann to put her national aspirations aside and start serving her congressional district’s constituents — or, doing the job she was elected to do — once again.

Tags: opinion, editorials, politics, minnesota, iowa