Bachmann Leaves Race

After a distant sixth place finish in the Iowa caucuses, U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann is dropping out of the presidential race (the photo is one I took of her in Iowa in August). She announced this morning that she was suspending her campaign (see post here see on importance of calling it "suspending"). After her win in the Iowa Straw Poll (see post here), Bachmann's campaign fell apart months ago. Despite having a resume that left her ill-suited to garner the Republican presidential nomination--let alone win the White House--Bachmann enjoyed a brief stint at the top of Iowa and national polls due in large part to her aggressive attacks on President Barack Obama and her use of confessional politics (see posts here, here, here, and here). Although her campaign failed, she demonstrated the power of confessional politics and how conservative evangelicals can thrust a long-shot candidate to the front of the pack.