I was checking out TPM Election Central and a recent story discusses how the Minnesota DFL is looking to try for a clean sweep next year to turn our state completely blue!
We've even recruited another Fighting Dem to take on a Republican incumbent.
More below.
Jim Ramstad is retiring in MN-03, creating a competitive open seat out of what had been an unbeatable incumbent, winning by 30 points last year. Here's TPM's take on the race:
The Dem field is still shaking itself out in the Third District, where incumbent Republican Jim Ramstad is retiring. State Senator Terri Bonoff is in the race, while state Representative Steve Simon and former state Senator Steve Kelley are considering it. And in an interesting twist, Edina Mayor James Hovland (R) says he's considering switching parties and running for the seat.
In MN-02 we're looking at Steve Sarvi, a Fighting Dem, to remove third termer John Kline. Here's a little about Mr. Sarvi:
Sarvi served 16 months in Iraq with the Minnesota National Guard, returning home this July.He's a former Watertown mayor who now works as city administrator in Victoria. Sarvi also was deployed to Kosovo as part of a peacekeeping force.
In other words, he has first hand knowledge of the surge and its effects and wants the policy to change. This after Kline says that he sees "amazing" progress in Iraq:
Rep. John Kline, returning from his fifth trip to Iraq, said Tuesday he saw "amazing" progress in the security situation there, and a sense of normalcy returning among Iraqi people.
I wonder which tour provides the better picture. The standard soldier tour of duty tour, or the super-deluxe VIP tour that includes your own platoon of soldiers.
And in the MN-06, we have Michelle Bachmann, Bush groper extraordinaire. Running against her is Elwyn Tinklenberg, a candidate last year who lost to Patty Wetterling for the DFL party nomination. From what I know, Tinklenberg is a more moderate Democrat that would stand a better chance in MN-06 than Patty Wetterling, and he's experienced in government, serving as Jesse Ventura's Transportation Commissioner.
The only district where I think Republicans stand a prayer of taking one from us is MN-01, my home district. However, Tim Walz has been very proactive about meeting with constituents on the weekends, and spent weeks in the district following our massive flash floods this August. In addition, this district (and especially Rochester) has been trending more and more Democratic the past few cycles and I don't see anything that would change that.