Bachmann Campaign Confirms Two New Hampshire Staff Members Have Resigned

Oct. 20, 2011: Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., speaks at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco.

Rep. Michele Bachmann’s presidential campaign on Saturday said that two of its staff members in New Hampshire have quit, partially confirming local reports that all of the Minnesota Republican’s staffers in the first-in-the-nation primary state had resigned.

But Bachmann campaign spokeswoman Alice Stewart told Fox News that three to five staff members in New Hampshire are still on the payroll.

“Not all of our New Hampshire staff has quit,” Stewart said in an email, confirming that Jeff Chidester, the communications director, and Caroline Gilger resigned. Fox News confirmed Friday that Gilger is joining Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s presidential campaign.

“We just didn’t know yesterday because they never talked to us, they just went to the press,” Stewart said, referring to the campaign's response on Friday that no one had left the campaign.

“It would have been nice of them to talk to us,” she added. “We understand that they want to campaign and work more, it’s just that we are spending our time and efforts in Iowa. We’re basically camping out in Iowa until the caucuses.”

Instead of employing a full-time staff, Stewart told Fox News that the campaign had weekly contracts with six to 10 people during Bachmann’s two visits to New Hampshire since she launched her White House bid in June.

Ever since she won the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa in August, Bachmann has fallen in the polls and struggled to raise money.

Veteran strategist Ed Rollins stepped down as Bachmann’s campaign manager last month and pollster Ed Goeas has reduced his role.

Last week, interim campaign manager Keith Nahigian told GOP officials in New Hampshire that Bachmann looked forward to a more aggressive Granite State campaign. At the same time, Bachmann insiders admit resources were being shifted out of New Hampshire based on the belief that without a victory in Iowa’s leadoff caucuses, her campaign would likely come to an end.

But Bachmann’s Iowa staff is small too with only four paid members.

Fox News' Carl Cameron and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.