Bachmann loses campaign manager

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) campaign manager Ed Rollins has stepped aside due to health reasons, according to Bachmann’s campaign.

“In less than 50 days and with fewer resources than other campaigns, Ed was the architect that led our campaign to a historic victory in Iowa,” Bachmann said.  “I am grateful for his guidance and leadership, and fortunate to retain his valuable advice even though his health no longer permits him to oversee the day-to-day operations of the campaign.”

{mosads}The campaign shake-up comes as Bachmann struggles to fight her way into the first tier of candidates. Her Iowa Straw Poll win in August was eclipsed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s entrance into the race, and she has faded in the polls since.

Rollins, a longtime campaign veteran who ran President Reagan’s 1984 reelection campaign, most recently ran former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s 2008 campaign. He told Politico on Monday that he had a stroke a year and a half ago and was not up to the rigors of managing a campaign every day.

Keith Nahigian, a Bachmann strategist, will be the campaign’s interim manager, while Rollins will continue to serve as a senior adviser.