Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., announced her official candidacy to continue representing the 6th congressional district, but she now lives in the 4th congressional district according to new maps just approved by the state Supreme Court.
“Today was a victory for the people of the sixth district of Minnesota with the release of the district map leaving our district largely unchanged,” Bachmann said in a campaign statement. “Though the court changed the district by drawing my residence out of the district and into district four, the vast majority of the people I currently represent remain in district 6.”
Bachmann seemed to anticipat being criticized for running in a district in which she no longer lives. Her explanation of her candidacy echoed faintly the message she took to Iowa, where she was born, during the presidential campaign. “The area covered by our district isn’t just a place I represent in Congress; it is the community I call home,” she said. “We are neighbors, business owners, friends and family. It is the place I grew up and where I graduated from high school.”
Even though she no longer lives in the 6th District, Bachmann’s chances of winning reelection are much higher than her chances of taking the 4th district, which is a safe seat for Democrats.
