Who Is Michele Bachmann's Husband? New Details On Marcus Bachmann
They've been married since 1978.
instagram Most of us know who Michele Bachmann is based solely on all the things she’s said over the years. From saying the HPV vaccine causes mental retardation, to claiming that carbon dioxide is harmless, to saying that Melissa Etheridge’s cancer was a chance for her to repent for being gay, she's pretty controversial.
You probably remember her as one of the candidates for the Republican nomination in the 2012 presidential election, where she eventually dropped out. Before that, she served as a member of the House of Representatives for Minnesota from 2007 to 2015. But behind this Evangelical Tea Party member is a husband and family who support her.
That begs the question: who is Michele Bachmann’s husband? Here are 12 things to know about Marcus Bachmann and their relationship.
1. He’s a clinical therapist.
Bachmann has a master’s degree from Regent University, a private Christian college in Virginia, as well as a Ph.D. from Union Graduate School in Ohio.
2. They met in college.
While Michele attended Winona State University, she and her now-husband both had jobs as playground supervisors for an elementary school near the college. They met when they were both students at the school, and probably bonded over their religious values.
3. They’ve been married since 1978.
That’s 40 years of wedded bliss!
4. They have five biological children.
Over the years, the couple had five kids: Sophia, Caroline, Elisa, Harrison and Lucas. But they also raised other children they welcomed into their home.
5. They were foster parents.
The couple provided care to 23 children from 1992 to 2000, all of whom were teenage girls. They also took in girls with eating disorders who were patients at a University of Minnesota program.
The Bachmanns received state funding for the children, and because of Marcus’ background in clinical therapy, their home was legally defined as a treatment home, qualifying them for state reimbursement.
6. He played a major role in her religious views.
Marcus helped shape Michele’s values, and though she was always religious, she later developed a “Tea Party brand of social conservatism.” The couple are members of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, a “particularly conservative brand of evangelical Protestantism.” These views have also influenced Michele, who believes a wife’s purpose is to be submissive to her husband.
She also said that she got her degree in tax law because it’s what her husband wanted, not because she had interest in the subject: “Why should I go and do something like that? But the Lord says, ‘Be submissive wives; you are to be submissive to your husbands.’”
7. He’s extremely anti-gay.
Both are known for being anti-gay, but Marcus' views seem even more intense. In an interview with a Christian radio program, he compared homosexuals to “barbarians.”
He said, “We have to understand: Barbarians need to be educated. They need to be disciplined. Just because someone feels it or thinks it doesn't mean that we are supposed to go down that road. We have a responsibility as parents and as authority figures not to encourage such thoughts and feelings from moving into the action steps.” Yes, because homosexuality is a choice. Cue major eye roll.
8. He runs an anti-gay clinic.
In 1988, the Bachmanns moved to Stillwater, Minnesota and started a Christian counseling center that provided gay conversion therapy. However, a video of a counselor at the clinic shows that the practices at the unlicensed clinic include trying to “pray the gay away.”
However, he denies that his clinic forces “reparative” therapist. This kind of therapy is greatly opposed by the American Psychiatric Association and the American Medical Association. The clinic has received over $160,000 in state and federal money.
9. Their clinic has multiple violations.
Minnesota health inspectors cited the clinic for not properly keeping patient records. Marcus Bachmann admitted they were guilty of making “minor clerical errors” and that they are “taking the necessary steps to correct them. We were told that compared with other facilities reviewed we did very well.”
10. He has a farm in Wisconsin that receives subsidies.
Photo: Getty
In addition to the clinic, Marcus owns the Bachmann Family Farm Partnership, a 951-acre farm that his father once owned. From 1995 to 2008, the farm received almost $260,000 in subsidies.
11. He had a central role in her political campaign.
When she was running for the House, Marcus Bachmann was her “self-described strategist,” as well as her body man, image consultant, and personal shopper. Michele told the Minneapolis Star Tribune in 2006, “He's got a good sense of style... [he came home with] a sleek, simple hourglass dress with a yoke collar in winter white... I just slipped it on.”
12. There are rumors he's gay.
Photo: AP
According to Dan Savage, a controversial gay advice columnist, Marcus Bachmann is a closeted gay:
“Look at Marcus Bachmann, Michele Bachmann’s husband. Anybody who has gaydar — anybody who has eyes — looks at him and sees a tormented closet case who has externalized his internal conflict and is abusing other people, doing his reparative-therapy bullshit. It’s so sad and pathetic. A lot of the self-destructive behaviors gay people are prone to drifting into are directed inward... Marcus Bachmann is the photo negative of the guy on the last bar stool in the gay bar, drinking and smoking himself to death, except instead of destroying himself, he’s destroying other vulnerable queer people in an effort to destroy the queer inside himself.”
Samantha Maffucci is an associate editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.