Patty Wetterling is one of the strongest pick up opportunities in Minnesota (if not THE strongest), and she was endorsed this weekend by the state's CONSERVATIVE newspaper!
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/editorial/9930865.htm
Here's the text:
Patty Wetterling
In the 6th District, which changed dramatically with the last redistricting, Republican Rep. Mark Kennedy of Watertown is defending the seat he won two years ago. He was first elected to Congress in 2000, from the old 2nd District. The Democratic candidate in the 6th is well-known child safety advocate Patty Wetterling of St. Joseph.
Voters in the 6th, a diverse district of rural, exurban and suburban communities, have two excellent candidates who can represent them in Congress. We think that Wetterling is the better choice.
She is not a typical candidate, tied into partisanship and ideology. Her 15 years of experience in advocating on child safety issues demonstrate a practical, can-do persistence. She is running her campaign on the high road, with positive messages and strong support from an array of sources. Her messages resonate with perspectives from people's lives instead of politically predictable pronouncements.
Wetterling is an extraordinary person, a moral presence with her feet planted firmly on the ground. She is just the kind of person who can dilute the partisanship and mean divisions that are preventing Congress from solving problems with civility.
She has grown quickly as a candidate, gaining knowledge about the issues.
Kennedy's record is conservative and clear, which has much to recommend it in this conservative district. He has fought to bring transportation solutions home. He is a smart and an able analyst of how to translate politics into policy. He focuses on district issues well and can distance himself from the party line, such as opposing No Child Left Behind because it erodes local control in education. Kennedy backs the administration's Iraq policy and articulates it better, we think, than President Bush. But we don't share Kennedy's unfettered optimism. It also is discouraging to see the Kennedy campaign go fiercely negative against Wetterling. The baseless anti-Wetterling ad Kennedy began airing late last week shows appalling judgment. She has kept the campaign on a positive plane.
That's where we see the future of productive congressional decision-making for the people of the 6th and the nation. Patty Wetterling is an extraordinary person who salves terrible wounds with constructive action.
FIND OUT MORE Patty Wetterling: www.pattywetterling.com