Bachmann presidential campaign ended 2011 in debt

Posted at 1:40 PM on January 31, 2012 by Mark Zdechlik
Filed under: Michele Bachmann

Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's presidential campaign committees ended the year owing a total of about $447,000, according to Federal Election Commission reports.

Bachmann dropped out of the Republican presidential nomination battle in early January after finishing near the bottom of the pack in the Iowa caucuses.

Her campaign raised about $1.7 million in the final three months of last year.

Bachmann's campaign said the average amount contributed to the campaign was less than $50 dollars.

Bachmann said last week she would seek re-election to Congress. Her remaining presidential campaign debt could be a problem for her congressional re-election effort. But Carleton College political science professor Steven Schier noted Bachmann's record of strong fundraising. In the 2010 mid-term election cycle Bachmann took in more than $13.5 million. Schier said Bachmann left the presidential race with an even larger base of potential donors.

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty dropped out of the GOP presidential race last August. Pawlenty's presidential campaign ended the year with debt of about $50,000, according to FEC reports.

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