Nov 4, 2008 12:00 pm US/Central
Dem Hopes Center On Bachmann, Ramstad Seats
WASHINGTON (AP) ―
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In two other competitive House races, Democrats were also making a run at Republican Rep. John Kline, while the GOP mounted a challenge to freshman Democrat Tim Walz.
CBS
Minnesota Democrats saw an opportunity to pick up two U.S. House seats on Tuesday, hoping to defeat Rep. Michele Bachmann and win an open seat to replace longtime Republican Rep. Jim Ramstad.
In two other competitive House races, Democrats were also making a run at Republican Rep. John Kline, while the GOP mounted a challenge to freshman Democrat Tim Walz.
If the Democrats hold on to Walz's seat and win two of the three other competitive seats, Minnesota Republicans would be down to a single House member -- their lowest total in more than 100 years, according to the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.
Bachmann, a freshman representing the state's 6th Congressional District, had been favored to win re-election. But she turned her race into a tossup last month when she said on national TV that Barack Obama "may have anti-American views." Her Democratic challenger, Elwyn Tinklenberg, pulled in nearly $2 million from state and national donors following the comment.
The district, which covers the northern Twin Cities suburbs and reaches west past St. Cloud, is Minnesota's most conservative, going for President George W. Bush by double digits in 2000 and 2004.
Democrats got behind a candidate who shared some of those conservative views in Tinklenberg. He also ran for the seat in 2006, but dropped out of the DFL primary after the party endorsed Patty Wetterling, who went on to lose to Bachmann.
Bachmann campaigned on an antitax message. She also argued for an energy policy that calls for more domestic drilling, a focus that Tinklenberg said was too narrow. Tinklenberg, who served as state transportation commissioner under former Gov. Jesse Ventura, emphasized conservation and alternative energy development.
In the western Twin Cities' 3rd District, Democrat Ashwin Madia, an Iraq war veteran, took on Republican Erik Paulsen, a former state House majority leader. Ramstad, a moderate who represented the district for 18 years, was retiring.
Both candidates invoked Ramstad's philosophy, with Madia calling himself a "moderate, fiscally conservative" Democrat, while Paulsen cited Ramstad's support in the race. On social issues, Paulsen opposed legalized abortion and gay marriage, while Madia supported both.
In the 1st District, which covers southern Minnesota, Walz faced a challenge from Brian Davis, a Mayo Clinic doctor. On the economic turmoil, Walz called for more government oversight of the markets, while Davis prescribed an end to subprime mortgage lending and the elimination of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
In the 2nd District, which hugs the southern edge of the Twin Cities and runs through the cities of Red Wing, Zumbrota, Faribault and Le Sueur, Kline faced a fellow military veteran, Democrat Steve Sarvi. Sarvi argued that Kline hasn't done enough for veterans.
Four other House races featured Democratic incumbents under less pressure. Rep. Betty McCollum faced Republican Edward Matthews in the 4th Congressional District; Rep. Keith Ellison faced Republican Barbara Davis White in the 5th; Rep. Collin Peterson faced Republican Glen Menze in the 7th; and Jim Oberstar faced Republican Michael Cummins in the 8th.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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