Michele Bachmann, After Congress, to Follow in Gingrich's Footsteps

Rep. Michele Bachmann, the Minnesota Republican who embodied the tea party's Capitol Hill presence and is leaving Washington after eight years, is now exploring her life-after-Congress options, The Washington Post reported.

At 58, the married mother of five and former tax lawyer was back in her district bidding farewell to constituents. "I've worked as hard as I could for as long as I could," she said.

She was among the first to embrace the tea party movement, made an unsuccessful attempt at the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, and became a pugnacious opponent of the Affordable Care Act.

Some constituents thought she didn't focus sufficiently on her district because of her national profile. She squeaked through her last congressional campaign, winning by a narrow 51 to 49 percent.

Bachmann became entangled in an endorsement-for-pay-scheme involving an Iowa politician who has since pleaded guilty, according to the Post.

Now she is working on her future plans. She said she wanted to follow in the footsteps of former House speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Georgia, who carved out a post-congressional life that includes think-tank work, writing, and speaking engagements.

Gingrich said his road has not been easy but recommended that Bachmann discuss her plans with trustworthy friends.

Among the things she has to decide is whether to be active in the 2016 presidential campaign. She did sit down with TV host Meghan McCain, former Sen. Rick Santorum, pastor Tony Perkins and actor Jon Voight, the Post reported.

Ed Rollins, the veteran Republican strategist and director of the Reagan-Bush '84 campaign, commented that Bachmann was seen as "damaged goods" in some Republican circles. He said, "The serious people are not going to take her seriously," the Post reported.

Perkins told the Post that conservatives liked the fact that "She doesn't take nuanced political positions."

Ramesh Ponnuru of the National Review said Bachmann had "played an important role in helping to brand the Republican Party and conservative movement as opposed to the Obama agenda in 2009 and 2010."

He added, "But I'm not sure that she has found quite as compelling a role since then," the Post reported.

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