Forget House Republican Conference chair. One enthusiastic supporter of Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann has launched an online petition urging her to run for Speaker of the House instead.
A grassroots petition drive, parked at LetHerSpeak.com, is underway to encourage Bachmann, a Republican who earlier this summer formed the Tea Party Caucus, to challenge Ohio Rep. John Boehner for Speaker.
“We were thrilled that Nancy Pelosi was fired for not listening to the American people, but now we need real change,” said Tim Pierce, an organizer of the effort, who responded to e-mail inquiries from The Daily Caller. “John Boehner is another member of the Washington establishment that cares more about his corporate backers than the American people. The Tea Party must be given a voice and the founder of the Tea Party Caucus, Michele Bachmann, is that voice.”
Pierce, who says he’s a graphic designer from North Carolina, said the idea of the petition drive came about when he was discussing the midterms elections with friends at work.
“We were all upset that John Boehner was being anointed the Speaker of the House without any consideration of Ms. Bachmann,” he explained. “It was thanks to her stellar fundraising, and the support she gained from the Tea Party, that the Republicans had such huge wins earlier this month.”
Pierce acknowledged that he has not been in contact with Bachmann about the effort yet, though said he plans to contact her after “the movement builds momentum.”
Bachmann is undergoing an insurgent campaign to become chairman of the Republican House Conference, and Pierce said he also supports her in that endeavor if she’s successful: “Having Ms. Bachmann in a leadership position is critical to getting our country back on track. If the Republican Caucus were to select her as Conference Chair, that would still be a victory, but we strongly believe that this country needs her as our Speaker.”
The plan for the online petition, he said, is to deliver the signatures to each member of the Republican transition team.
Pierce designed the website for the petition himself. “I’m not really involved in any political organizations but I thought this would be an interesting way to make an impact,” he said.
A spokesman for Bachmann did not comment.