Why is Michele Bachmann endorsing Mitt Romney now?
Former GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann is finally on board the Mitt Romney train. She endorsed the presumptive Republican nominee at a Thursday rally in Portsmouth, Va.
The former Massachusetts governor is a man "who will preserve the American dream of prosperity and liberty," said Congresswoman Bachmann (R) of Minnesota on stage.
Why now? She鈥檚 resisted the Romney camp鈥檚 entreaties for months, after all, saying that she was working behind the scenes to bring all factions of her party together. Fellow social conservative Rick Santorum hasn鈥檛 yet endorsed Mr. Romney. Neither has Newt Gingrich. It isn鈥檛 like Bachmann鈥檚 been standing out in the cold.
From Romney鈥檚 point of view there are hazards in appearing on stage with Bachmann, as well. She was pretty tough on him before she suspended her campaign last January. Already Democrats are gleefully promoting her most biting anti-Mitt rhetoric. The liberal blog Think Progress has listed what editors judge her 10 best Romney attacks.
No. 1? 鈥淸Romney] cannot beat Obama. It鈥檚 not going to happen,鈥� .
Well, we think there鈥檚 a mutual perceived advantage here that makes electoral sense. Bachmann鈥檚 running to retain her congressional seat, after all. If she wins, and Romney wins, and she hadn鈥檛 endorsed him, she鈥檇 be in an awkward spot. Plus, she鈥檚 got about $650,000 in debt from her presidential bid, . The Romney money folks can help retire that.
As for Romney, look at where the endorsement announcement is occurring. Bachmann is a Minnesota lawmaker, yet she鈥檚 appearing next to her party鈥檚 presumptive standard-bearer down in tidewater Virginia.
We say that鈥檚 because the Old Dominion is more of a swing state than Minnesota. Right now Romney is about , according to the RealClearPolitics rolling average of state polls. He鈥檚 almost .
Bachmann has long been a favorite of Tea Party adherents. And Virginia鈥檚 got lots of those: about 21 percent of the state鈥檚 voters said they were Tea Party supporters, according to a .
That鈥檚 why this endorsement event has been set up as it has, if you ask us. The Romney team may be narrowcasting this, hoping for a boost in a particular state, among a particular segment of that state鈥檚 voters. On Saturday, Bachmann will be the in nearby Virginia Beach. Perhaps she鈥檒l have a few good words to say about Romney at an educational institution that was founded by Pat Robertson and remains a font of conservative evangelical thought.
