Bachmann Gives Up on NH

Where’s Michele Bachmann? Well, she’s certainly not in New Hampshire. She hasn’t visited the state since two months ago, and she canceled her last planned visit, after the Ames straw poll. In fact, every single 2012 GOP candidate other than Bachmann has been to New Hampshire since the straw poll. Residents had already suspected their state was being written off, and Bachmann’s campaign practically confirmed that yesterday, Politico notes, stating that Iowa is the campaign’s “main focus,” followed by South Carolina.

“We do plan to build on our efforts in New Hampshire in due time,” the spokesperson added. People in the Granite State are “baffled,” says a former state GOP chairman—perhaps especially so since before launching her campaign, Bachmann made multiple stops in New Hampshire and looked like she would campaign there intensely. Some suspect her withdrawal is a strategy to help her stay in the race, since she dropped in the polls after Rick Perry threw his hat in. But it may not be a good move, notes the former chairman: “I can’t point to a success story of someone who decided to not campaign in New Hampshire.” (More Michele Bachmann stories.)