CONGRESS

House Races Heat Up Twin Cities

Minneapolis Area Offers No Less Than Three Tight Congressional Contests

by Jessica Taylor

Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008


The presidential race isn't the only contest heating up the Twin Cities. No less than three congressional races in Minneapolis and its outlying suburbs are competitive this year, and they offer a microcosm of the national political landscape: In one contest, the parties are battling over an open seat; in another, a Republican incumbent is fending off a tough Democratic challenge; and in the third, a Democratic incumbent is on the defensive.

In the 3rd District, where nine-term GOP Rep. Jim Ramstad is retiring, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee have both made the race a high priority in their spending. The Cook Political Report rates the race a toss-up. Ramstad's centrism was a good fit for the moderate district that encompasses the Hennepin County suburbs of Bloomington, Plymouth, and Wayzata; he won by comfortable margins every two years.

The nominee of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, as Minnesota Democrats are known, is political newcomer Ashwin Madia, a former Marine Corps officer who served in Iraq. The son of Indian immigrants, Madia, much like Barack Obama, worked his way through law school to fulfill his parents' dream of better opportunities in the United States. His top priorities are balancing the budget, finding a responsible way to end the war, investing in education, and working toward a comprehensive energy strategy.

"I'm just an ex-marine trying to do what I can to get this country back on track," Madia said. He plans to use the influx of Republicans into Minnesota this week to contrast his differences with the GOP platform.

The Republican nominee, state Sen. Erik Paulsen, is slated to address the convention on Monday night; he says he will spotlight a central theme of his campaign -- the need to reform Washington. "Congress is broken, and I want to help fix it. That also includes reforming the party," he said.

Paulsen believes that the GOP has strayed from fiscal discipline. He says that John McCain's maverick reputation dovetails nicely with his own calls for reform. "He's taken on special interests," Paulsen said. "That's the reform message that the party needs to re-embrace."

But when it comes to the Iraq war, Paulson believes he and his opponent have few differences. "The venture into Iraq has been badly mishandled," he said. "Precipitous withdrawal would be a disaster for the region, but we should continue to draw down troops."

A former Ramstad aide, Paulson also says he would stay true to his former boss's bipartisan reputation. "He taught me the importance of civility in politics," said Paulsen, who points to his track record in the Minnesota Senate as evidence that he can work across the aisle.

Meanwhile, two area House freshmen are facing big challenges come Election Day. In the 1st District, which includes the southernmost part of the state, Democratic Rep. Tim Walz has drawn a serious challenger. Walz upset six-term Republican Rep. Gil Gutknecht two years ago, 53 percent to 47 percent.

This time, his likely Republican challenger is Brian Davis, an oncologist at the Mayo Clinic, who won the state party's endorsement in March. However, state Sen. Dick Day, who lost out on the GOP nod, is still hoping to defeat Davis in next week's primary. Both emphasize their conservative principles and a desire to restrain Washington spending. Although Walz's district leans Republican, The Cook Political Report has rated this race "likely Democratic."

In the 6th District, located just north of the Twin Cities, GOP Rep. Michelle Bachmann is facing DFL opponent Elwyn Tinklenberg, who was state transportation commissioner under Gov. Jesse Ventura, a Reform Party independent, for three years. Tinklenberg has highlighted the economy and health care reform. Still, in a district that voted 52 percent for President Bush in 2004, The Cook Report projects that Bachmann, a staunch conservative, is likely to be safe in November.

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