Bachmann buys airtime 18 months from election day
WASHINGTON - It's only 538 days until voters will get a chance to elect members of Congress again. Apparently that's soon enough for Michele Bachmann to begin airing TV ads in the Twin Cities media market.
According to a filing with the Federal Communication Commission, the Bachmann campaign purchased more than $14,000 worth of ad time from Fox affiliate KMSP starting tomorrow and running through May 27. The news was first reported by the National Journal which called the very early ad purchase "extremely unusual."
The four-term Republican Congresswoman won re-election last November by a slim margin of 4,300 votes in what's traditionally the most GOP-friendly district in the state. The results were a possible sign that Bachmann's unsuccessful presidential bid and brash, outspoken brand of politicking may have hurt her reputation with voters. Bachmann's presidential campaign is also under investigation by several entities, including congressional ethics investigators and the Iowa Supreme Court.
Her opponent last year, DFLer Jim Graves, has already announced that he's running again and is getting early support this time from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Democratic-aligned outside groups, such as the House Majority PAC, also plan to spend money to oust Bachmann.
A representative from Bachmann's campaign did not return an email requesting more information on the ad campaign.
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