With an influx of Tea Party-backed Republicans elected to the House this week, expect Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann’s Tea Party Caucus to grow.
“I know we’ve gotten a lot of interest from a lot of the new members,” Bachmann spokesman Sergio Gor said by phone from Minnesota.
Bachmann, he said, will be reaching out to potential members of the caucus when the new Congress meets in January.
According to Bachmann’s website, 51 members joined her caucus this summer.
When Bachmann announced the formation of the group, she told The Daily Caller that the group was not meant to function as an alternative, conservative voice to the Republican House leadership.
“No, I don’t see it that way,” Bachmann said then. “I think it’s really just complementary. … Usually the purposes of the caucuses are to promote an idea or issue — whether it’s the shellfish caucus, the potato caucus, the missile defense caucus. It’s members of Congress who are interested in an idea and they want to promote it. Well, this is no different.”
In fact, Bachmann — a grassroots favorite — has announced that plans to run for a spot in the Republican leadership as chair of the Republican Conference. She’s facing Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling.