Minnesota congresswoman and Republican presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann is facing her greatest campaign challenge yet, as various reports note a number of staffers have resigned in recent days.
Ms. Bachmann, who continues to trail former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Texas Republican governor Rick Perry in recently released polls, is facing a mass exodus as reports note the Minnesota Republican is struggling to gain support and raise funds.
Bachmann campaign pollster Ed Goeas plans to leave the campaign after upcoming debates in New Hampshire and Nevada, and senior adviser Andy Parrish is returning to the Minnesota congresswoman’s office where he served as chief of staff.
“Given the changing caucus and primary schedule, we will not be utilizing full-time polling consultants and [will] concentrate heavily on retail politics in Iowa,” said Alice Stewart, Ms. Bachmann spokeswoman. “Ed will work on several projects with us this month, then we shift focus to Iowa and he will shift to other projects not associated with the campaign.”
The departures follow concerns expressed by former Bachmann campaign adviser Ed Rollins, who left the campaign in August, citing reasons related to his health. Mr. Rollins, speaking with CNN, said Ms. Bachmann is likely to face a series of hurdles in raising funds from Republican donors, many of whom have decided to donate to either Texas Republican governor Rick Perry or former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
Ms. Bachmann began July with about $3.6 million, most of which had been transferred from her congressional campaign account. The Bachmann campaign has yet to announce its fundraising totals for the third quarter of 2011, an indication that the Minnesota Republican is likely trailing Mr. Romney and Mr. Perry.
