Bachmann misses nearly 40 percent of votes

Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) has skipped 37 percent of House votes since launching her presidential campaign, The Hill's Michael O'Brien reported Tuesday.

By the newspaper's calculation, that's 50 missed votes out of 135 taken by the House since Bachmann officially announced her candidacy June 27 in Waterloo, Iowa. It's no surprise that the presidential campaign trail is cutting into Bachmann's day job--but that doesn't mean her critics won't hold it against her.

Bachmann for now is keeping her political options open, saying she is "suspending" her 2012 House re-election campaign while she vies for the GOP presidential nomination. But she hasn't closed the door on jumping back into her House race if her push toward higher office fails to pan out.

Anyone challenging Bachmann for Congress in 2012 will likely use her missed votes to argue she hasn't sufficiently fulfilled her duties this term. And those on the 2012 trail attacking her congressional record (we're looking at you, Tim Pawlenty) can point out her shoddy attendance to undercut her current term in office.

On a side note, Bachmann missed vote percentage is greater than the missed-vote percentage held by two of her House colleagues who are also running for president: Ron Paul (Tex.) and Thaddeus McCotter (Mich.). The Hill reports that Paul missed 25 of 307 votes--8 percent--since May 13, and McCotter missed 13 of 135 votes--10 percent--since early July. Of course, Paul's and McCotter's campaign trajectories are nothing like Bachmann's quick rise to the top.