See the Video Michele Bachmann Used to Announce She's Leaving Congress

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn. chair of the Tea Party Caucus speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 16, 2013, during a news conference with Tea Party leaders to discuss the IRS targeting Tea Party groups. Credit: AP

Before dawn on Wednesday morning, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann announced that she will not be seeking re-election in 2014. The news was released via Rep. Bachmann's Facebook page:

To my most cherished friends and immensely loyal supporters. I have prepared a personal video just for you that I hope you will view right now. I wanted to share this important breaking news about the decision I have made with you first.

The post included an 8:30 video from Bachmann explaining her decision and responding to speculation that if she ran again, she might lose. It also included her reminiscing about her accomplishments, from fighting Obamacare to raising the alarm on radical Islam:

Ms. Bachmann did not rule out a return to the world of politics in the future, saying "There is no future option or opportunity, be it directly in the political arena or otherwise, that I won't be giving serious consideration if it can help save and protect our great nation." But she did effectively "term limit" herself, stating:

"The law limits anyone from serving as president of the United States for more than eight years, and in my opinion, well, eight years is also long enough for an individual to serve as a representative for a specific Congressional district."

"My decision was not influenced by any concerns about my being re-elected," Bachmann said. Later, she added that "This decision was not impacted in any way by the recent inquiries into the activities of my former presidential campaign."

Bachmann also let the left-leaning outlets in the mainstream media know that she anticipated her announcement would receive a "detrimental spin."

"I take being the focus of their attention and disparagement as a true compliment of my public service effectiveness," she said.

This is a breaking story. Updates will be added.