Transportation and energy issues dominate today's congressional news in the First. Federal grants that will assist in the improvement of Highway captured much attention. The Waseca County News reports Walz presents Highway 14 grant:
Funding for the expansion of Highway 14 got a boost Thursday morning when First District Congressman Tim Walz and members of the Highway 14 Partnership met in Waseca. They stood on the grass across from Kiesler’s Campground, their backs to the highway they all want to see converted to a four-lane.
Walz, a Mankato Democrat, was in town to announce federal grants for two sections of Highway 14. Joining him were the mayors of Waseca, Owatonna, North Mankato and Courtland and officials from Waseca and Owatonna.
Walz said the highway is a major artery in the First District, used by 80 percent of the area’s largest employers.
He said the Federal Highway Administration grant is the result of the financial commitment the state of Minnesota has made to the finish the project.
The grant was also made possible, Walz said, because of the commitment of the partnership members who understood the need to band together to get a new highway built. The new highway will improve safety and the economy and infrastructure for the future, he said.
The Mankato Free Press wrote that Grant funding moves highway plan ahead and KEYC-TV says Walz Announces Grant Money for Highway 14 Repairs. Video is included. Winona Radio picks up on the story as well.
Congressman Walz continues to talk about energy issues with small business owners and consumers in the district. The Albert Lea Tribune observes that Walz blasts Bush over gas prices. MPR reports Politicians offer plenty of gas prices fixes; Walz is mentioned.
Robert Emary writes to the Worthington Globe to say Walz made right vote on energy act. Richard Robbins supports Walz's approach in Energy policies should put middle class first.
In The Carbon Footprint Trail, Tom Driscoll at the Fillmore County Journal takes a long look at ways in which local power co-ops are trying to reduce CO2 emissions. Both Congressman Walz and Davis were interviewed for the story.
Davis's global warming denial looks to be pretty light-weight in context of the rest of the story, especially when contrasted with Governor Pawlenty's efforts for conservation and energy efficiency. Guess that's what happens when you touts slim credentials (one year of work after receiving his undergraduate degree) from an industry Davis hasn't worked in for nearly 25 years (Davis began working on his mechanical engineering degrees in 1983, after graduating from college in 1982).
The Rochester Post Bulletin writes that GOP leader outlines strategy during speech at Mayo Civic Center. The strategy talk was about how to defeat Walz, not how to devise long-term energy policy. No word in the article as to whom Cole delivered his strategy pep talk. We suppose it's nice that Tom Cole's visit resulted in one or two pieces of earned mainstream media for the Davis campaign.
The Open Enrollment blog at the Winona Daily News' River Valley blogs looks at Walz vs. NCLB.
The Houston County News reports Houston County amongst those declared federal disaster area; the article mentions Congressman Walz's efforts, working with Senators Coleman and Klobuchar and Governor Pawlenty, to help secure the federal disaster declaration by the president.
The Pioneer Press looks at how Returning veterans take lessons to political battles. The article begins:
The Iraq and Afghanistan wars linger on, but they already are producing a new generation of politicians looking to represent Minnesota in Congress.
In the 3rd Congressional District, Marine veteran Ashwin Madia, the surprise Democratic challenger, is seeking the open seat. In the 2nd District, Steve Sarvi, a National Guard member who served in Kosovo and Iraq, is taking on a Vietnam veteran. And the 1st District is represented by Tim Walz, a 24-year National Guard veteran, in his first term running for re-election.
The three are part of an emerging trend nationally — veterans of the two wars eager to take their concerns and the lessons they've learned to Washington. . . .
It's important to note that Tim Walz served in a support operation in Italy for Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) but is not a combat veteran of OEF. Both Madia and Sarvi served in country in Iraq. Here's the new chart on competitive races from the Cook Political Report. We had posted yesterday how MN-02, once considered completely safe for John Kline, was moved into the more competitive "likely Republican" from "solid Republican." Those pesks at IDHA note that Sarvi, Madia and Tinklenberg have just been endorsed by the Minnesota Nurses Association. Looks like the Republican Party of Minnesota will be playing defense in all three of its remaining congressional seats. In Welcome Home for Minnesota Soldiers, KAAL TV reports that 400 Minnesota National Guard members from Mankato-based 2nd Battalion who had been serving in Kosovo will return to the USA by the end of next weekend. The Albert Lea Tribune says they're coming back between July 10 and 14 in Albert Lea troops returning from Kosovo. Happy Birthday, America! Fanfare for the Common Man Update: We spoke too soon about earned media for Brian Davis's campaign; the Grand Forks Herald has published an AP reports about Brian Davis's self-funding of his campaign. In 1st District candidate says spending won't change, we learn:
A doctor running for Congress in southern Minnesota says he won't increase spending of his own money despite the new freedom he got with a recent Supreme Court ruling.
The high court ruled against campaign finance laws that allowed higher contribution limits for opponents of candidates using more than $350,000 of their own money. But Dr. Brian Davis, who is running for Congress in the First District, says he never planned to hit that limit anyway. He has loaned or contributed nearly $200,000 to his campaign so far.
Davis says he does agree with the decision.
He's running in the Republican primary against longtime state Senator Dick Day. The winner of that primary will run against first-term Democratic Representative Tim Walz.
That $200,000 figure is quite interesting. At the end of Q1, Davis had contributed $58543.76 to his campaign and loaned his committee $24,000, for a total of $82,543.76. If the amount has escalated up to nearly $200,000, he tapped into his own reserves at a greater pace in the quarter that just ended--perhaps to the tune of $100,000 or more.
That should punch the Q2 report up a bit.
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