Michelle Bachmann Gets Republican Challenger

After Michelle Bachmann’s spectacular flameout of an interview on Friday on MSNBC, her Democratic challenger in Minnesota’s Sixth District, Elwyn Tinklenberg, received a big boost in donations to his campaign.

Now it looks like Bachmann’s GOP challenger in the September primary, Aubrey Immelman, is getting back into the race as a write-in candidate:

…in response to Rep. Michele Bachmann’s shameful commentary yesterday afternoon on MSNBC’s “Hardball” with Chris Matthews, I’m announcing my write-in candidacy in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District election for U.S. Representative.

Earlier today, I mailed a petition to the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State requesting that all write-in votes cast for me for the office of U.S. Representative in the Sixth District at the Minnesota state general election on November 4, 2008 be counted in accordance with Minnesota Statutes 204B.09, subd. 3.

On September 9, I challenged Rep. Bachmann for the Republican nomination because of my strong opposition to her support for the destructive neocon ideology that mired the United States in an unnecessary war in Iraq at a cost of thousands of American lives, hundreds of billions in taxpayer dollars, and untold damage to the international stature of the United States of America (see Statement on Iraq War).

After losing the primary election, I suspended my campaign.

But now, Rep. Bachmann has dishonored her office and brought shame to the Sixth District and the State of Minnesota by calling for a media investigation reminiscent of McCarthy-era witch hunts to “find out [which members of Congress] are pro-America or anti-America.”

We cannot let that stand.

We cannot tolerate this festering brand of neo-McCarthyism in our midst.

We cannot and must not tolerate elected representatives who abuse their high office and play into the hands of our enemies by sowing the seeds of hatred and dividing America against itself.

Therefore, I am putting my name forward as a write-in candidate for disillusioned Republicans who can no longer support Rep. Bachmann and who wish to voice their displeasure without having to vote for the candidate of another party.

Write-ins don’t tend to be winners, but Immelman does give Republicans and Independents who are upset at Bachmann and don’t want to vote for the Democrats a choice. To learn more about his campaign, you can go here or read a story from the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Cross-posted at the Square Deal