Minnesota Republican Rep. Michelle Bachmann says she hasn’t ruled out running for another public office — including the presidency — even though she won’t be seeking a fifth term in the U.S. House.
“I’m not retiring. I’m not going silent,”
Bachmann told Fox News' Sean Hannity. “In fact, I may run for another public office. That could happen.”
However, she said her top priority is not another White House run, although she hasn’t ruled that out.
Story continues below video.
“I’m not taking anything off the table,” she told Hannity in her first major interview since her retirement announcement. “But that’s certainly not my No. 1 item that I’m looking at right now, either. I’m in the game for the long haul.”
Urgent: Is Obama Telling the Truth on IRS, Benghazi Scandals?
Bachmann, a tea party favorite, is still facing issues from her 2012 presidential campaign that include an lawsuit in Iowa over alleged campaign finance irregularities. Hannity did not address those issues during the interview.
Bachmann, though, said that leaving office will allow her to continue working on vital issues, but from a different place and perspective.
“For right now, I think I’m going to find a different perch in order to weigh in on these matters,” she told Hannity. “Sometimes you can be more effective on the outside than on the inside. I’ve done everything I possibly could on the inside. But I still intend to be in the fight.”
Meanwhile, she said, she is “wide open and looking” for options in her political future, and plans to “continue to be a very strong voice.”
And even though she’s leaving office in 18 months, Bachmann likely will continue to fight against key issues, including Obamacare and what she called the “serial lawlessness out of the Obama administration.”
“I’m not going away. I’m not leaving Washington,” she said. “I’m not leaving the national scene. It’s just bringing a positive solution from a different perch.”