Michele Bachmann Challenger, Jim Graves, Has 'Open Mind' About Another Showdown In 2014

Bachmann Challenger Talks Round 2
US Republican Representative from Minnesota and former presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann speaks at a Tea Party Unity Rally at The River at Tampa Bay Church in Tampa, Florida, on August 26, 2012 ahead of the Republican National Convention. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/GettyImages)
US Republican Representative from Minnesota and former presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann speaks at a Tea Party Unity Rally at The River at Tampa Bay Church in Tampa, Florida, on August 26, 2012 ahead of the Republican National Convention. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/GettyImages)

Jim Graves, the Minnesota businessman who mounted an unsuccessful bid this year to unseat Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), said this week there could be another effort against the conservative firebrand in his future.

"I'll always keep an open mind," Graves told the St. Cloud Times of the prospect of challenging Bachmann again.

Graves added, however, that he hoped a different Bachmann would be on display during her fourth term.

"If she comes out and really changes her modus operandi and starts serving the people," Graves said. "Maybe one of the byproducts is Michele will become a better congressperson and more responsive. And if so, I'd be happy."

Bachmann defeated Graves by fewer than 5,000 votes out of more than 350,000 ballots cast. The race was her closest despite Bachmann's prolific fundraising, which allowed her to outspend Graves by a 12-to-1 margin.

The win came after a whirlwind third term that included a rapid rise to the top of the GOP presidential primary pack, followed by an equally rapid descent down and eventually out of the contest. Her congressional input was no less lively, though her highly criticized decision to accuse top officials in President Barack Obama's administration of working for the interests of the Muslim Brotherhood without any evidence became another mark on a career that has frequently been highlighted by controversy.

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