Conservative Bachmann will not seek re-election to Congress

By Fred Barbash

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Michele Bachmann, the firebrand conservative 2012 presidential contender, said Wednesday she will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives when her term ends but did not rule out another run for the White House.

Bachmann, a Minnesota Republican, said that four two-year terms was enough time for anyone to serve in the House. She gave no specific reason for not seeking a fifth term.

She made the announcement in a polished 8-1/2 minute video posted on her campaign website in which she sat in front of a bookcase and spoke over light rock music reminiscent of political ads.

Bachmann faced a House challenge from Democrat Jim Graves, who came within 1 percentage point of beating her in 2012. But fear of a difficult race in 2014 was not her reason for leaving the House, she said in the video.

"I have every confidence that if I ran, I would again defeat the individual who I defeated last year," said Bachmann, whose term ends in early January 2015.

Bachmann also said that ethics probes being conducted by the Federal Election Commission and Office of Congressional Ethics into the handling of money for her presidential race were not a factor in her decision.

"It was clearly understood that compliance with all rules and regulations was an absolute necessity for my presidential campaign, and I have no reason to believe that that was not the case," she said.

Bachmann's campaign for the 2012 Republican nomination, which centered around charges that President Barack Obama was putting the United States "on the road to socialism," brought her wide attention. But much of her message was negative thanks to regular misstatements of fact.

While she had a conservative following, she placed sixth among the contenders for caucus votes in the conservative state of Iowa in January, 2012, getting only 5 percent of the vote and prompting her withdrawal from contention.

Bachmann was the author of numerous bills in the House, including her own measure to repeal the Obama administration healthcare law, but she generally could muster support only from a handful of like-minded conservatives.

In the video, Bachmann thanked her husband, five children and 23 foster children and said she would use the remainder of her congressional term to fight to protect "innocent human life, traditional marriage, family values, religious liberty and academic excellence."

"I will continue to work 100-hour weeks and I will continue to do everything that I can to advance our conservative constitutional principles," she said.

(Additional reporting by Laura MacInnis; Editing by Walker Simon and Philip Barbara)

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