Why Michele Bachmann's Democratic challenger quit, too

Jim Graves nearly unseated Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) when he challenged her in the 2012 election, and the Democratic underdog was determined to try again next year. But now that Bachmann has announced she won't run for a fifth term after all, Graves — a St. Cloud hotelier — is dropping out, too. Why did he change his mind?

Graves says he was only in it to get rid of Bachmann, who is a favorite target of Democrats nationwide. Once she was out, there was no reason for him to stay in. Here's how he put it to MinnPost:

Predictably, not everyone is buying that explanation. Moe Lane notes at his blog that Bachmann's district is deep red, and that Graves knew he had no chance against any Republican less controversial than his former Tea Party foil.

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Graves did acknowledge that he faced tougher odds against somebody other than Bachmann, who has a habit of making explosive comments that appeal to the conservative fringe but embarrass moderate Republicans. Mitt Romney won her district by a far more comfortable margin than she did. "I was just the guy who was running against her," Graves tells MinnPost. "I'm humble enough to realize that."

One thing is clear: The seat will most likely not be switching hands. Graves was "arguably the strongest and most well-financed candidate Minnesota Democrats had," says Doug Mataconis at Outside the Beltway, meaning Democrats' chances of winning just got a lot lower.