Michele Bachmann Asked God About Franken Seat, But He Said No

STILLWATER, MN — God has spoken — or rather he hasn’t. Former Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann says she didn’t get any “sense from the Lord” that she should run for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Al Franken, who resigned following allegations of sexual misconduct.

“It became very clear to me that I wasn’t hearing any call from God to do this,” she told Olive Tree Ministries radio host Jan Markell.

The Tea Party Republican from Stillwater had flirted with the idea of running for Franken’s seat since shortly after his resignation.

The deeply religious Bachmann told televangelist Jim Bakker in early January that many people had urged her to run for the Senate and fight for conservative values and principles, but that she would ask God for guidance.

“So the question is, am I being called to do this now?” she said at the time. “I don’t know.”

As recently as last month, Bachmann was still weighing a possible candidacy. A vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, she told Michigan Public Radio a run could cost her personally. “The price is bigger than ever because the swamp is so toxic,” she said.

The interview with Markell put to rest any speculation that Bachmann would dive back into election politics. She left the U.S. House of Representatives in 2015 after four terms and also ran for president in 2012, but dropped out after a poor finish in the Iowa Caucuses. She has since been a voice for conservative and evangelical voters.

Franken’s replacement in the Senate is Democrat Tina Smith, formerly Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, who is expected to run in a special election in November to fill out Franken’s term, which expires in 2020. Former state Sen. Karin Housley said on Twitter she would run for Franken’s seat after former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said he didn’t plan to be a candidate.

Bachmann’s announcement that she would seek spiritual guidance in deciding her candidacy made her a target of snide mockery. She has a stormy past with progressive voters, who have accused her and husband Marcus of using "conversion therapy" — what critics called "pray away the gay" therapy —at their counseling clinics.

A billboard recently popped up in Saint Paul with the message: “Michele Bachmann, No. – God.” The $7,000 to pay for the billboard was raised on the YouCaring crowdfunding site.

“Michele Bachmann is thinking about running for Senate in Minnesota,” the fundraising post read. “She has been praying on it. Let's give her an answer from God! That answer is NO.”

It appeared to be the work of the satirical website thegoodlordabove.com.

(Photo by T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty Images News/Getty Images)