PIONEER PRESS: BABY WALZ
The Pioneer Press runs an AP notice for the Walzes, though regular BSP readers know that while this is the best news of the week, it wasn't the "first piece of good news" for Tim Walz:
In what he no doubt hopes is just his first piece of good news this fall, Democratic congressional candidate Tim Walz announced Friday that he and his wife are the parents of a new son.
Gus Whipple Walz was born Friday afternoon at Immanuel-St. Joseph's Hospital in Mankato, where Walz lives. Walz and his wife have a 5-year-old daughter, Hope.
Walz is running against Republican incumbent Gil Gutknecht in the 1st Congressional District, which covers far southern Minnesota. Once considered a safe Republican seat, Walz has impressed political observers with the strength of his challenge.
Photo swiped from Tim Walz's web site.
DEMS IN THE FIELD: THREE STORIES FROM MN-01
More good news for Tim Walz. The Democratic Party has started a new feature on its blog, and stories from Tim Walz's campaign are up first:
Tim Walz is running for Congress in Minnesota's 1st Congressional District. After months of hard work and tireless campaigning, Tim has built a grassroots-powered campaign that has him in a dead heat with his GOP opponent.
Constituent Dynamics. 10/10. MoE 3.08%
Walz (D): 47
Gutknecht (R): 48Grassroots campaigning is the true heart of any campaign. It's the feet on the street that make or break you in the final days and it's the inspiring people to come out, day after day, to volunteer for your campaign that is a candidate's truest measure of success, at least in my book.
Here are three stories from the Walz campaign.
Signs of Change
On a Friday night this summer, a volunteer and I were putting up yard signs along a county highway here in Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District. We decided to stop at a farm house that had both Democratic and Republican lawn signs posted. Some people along this highway will allow anyone to post a sign while others only post signs of candidates they actively support. We knocked on the door and explained the purpose of our visit. The home owner said, “Sure, we’ve been waiting for you guys. Please run out and take the Republican signs down and put up your signs!” When we got out to the bean field we realized the signs we were supposed to take down were Congressman Gutknecht’s. Every time I drive by that bean field I can’t help but smile as I read Tim Walz for U.S. Congress.
"Knock and Drag"
On a morning canvass this summer, I was walking a route in Winona, MN and was walking in a precinct made up primarily of Winona State students. At one door the student who I was looking for had moved but the student currently living there was big supporter and wanted to know what they could do to help. I told them how important canvassing was and they signed up on the spot and came out for the afternoon canvass shift!
Knowledge is Power
At the Rochesterfest festival, an intern and I were gathering email addresses for our Walz Wire monthly email update at the same time the Gutknecht team was also gathering signatures. I sent our intern over to see what the Gutknecht team was gathering signatures for and went back to collecting email addresses. When I met back up with our intern she had actually recruited one of the Gutknecht volunteers to work on our campaign. It turns out the Gutknecht volunteer was a high school student who hadn’t heard about Tim and just wanted to get involved in politics but when she heard what Tim was all about, she knew she had to join the Walz team!
Cross posted to Dailykos and MyDD by Tracy Joan. (Hat tip to REW via email).
MR. WALZ GOES TO WASHINGTON
The Wege makes a sound observation about Mn-01, then kicks it over to Joe Bodell at Minnesota Campaign Report:
. . . . the Walz-Gutknecht race is easily turning out to be one of the most exciting Congressional races in recent Minnesota history.
The stereotypes don't get much broader: A 12-years-and-out Class of '94 Gingrichite reneging on his term limit promise vs. a teacher-coach-master sergeant who's a ringer for Jimmy Stewart in every way but looks. [More from Minnesota Campaign Report.]
MR. BOEHNER COMES TO MANKATO
At Minnesota Monitor, Leigh Pomeroy gives a first-hand account of Boehner's meeting with College Republicans at Minnesota State-Mankato. Seems as if a couple of the questions were a little uncomfortable.
NETROOTS POLL ROUNDUP
Polinaut leads off its Daily Digest with news of the dead heat in the MN-01 poll and Minnesota Monitor/Vox Verax reports on them as well. 15 Seats calls Walz the "easy choice." Matthew for America links to the Votemaster's comments about the House races:
The situation in the House, with the Democrats likely to recapture it, is causing headaches at both the DCCC and NRCC, according to a story in the Washington Post. The DCCC is suddenly being flooded with requests from Democrats in races nobody thought they could win, but the polls say they are very close. For example, Linda Stender (NJ-07), Dave Mejias (NY-03), Tim Walz (MN-01) were all supposed to be sacrificial lambs and they are in statistical ties with their incumbent Republican opponents. When they go to DCCC chairman Rahm Emanuel pleading for money, saying, look, I can actually pick off this Republican seat, he hates to say no. On the other hand, he has targeted other races, such as CT-02CT-04 (Chris Shays), and CT-05 (Nancy Johnson) and IN-02 (Chris Chocola), IN-08IN-09 (Mike Sodrel), to name just two states. The Democrats have a decent shot at probably 30 districts, and Emanuel has to pinch his pennies.
Over at the NRCC, chairman Tom Reynolds (who is being clobbered in his own district, NY-26) has a triage problem: which races do we abandon altogether? Should he throw the #3 person in the House leadership, Deborah Pryce (D-OH) to the wolves because she is trailing Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy 53% to 41% in order to salvage representatives like Gil Gutknecht (MN-01), Thelma Drake (VA-02), and Dave Reichert (WA-08) who are in statistical ties with their opponents? Both of these guys have tough decisions to make: 30 people are drowning and you have 10 life preservers. What do you do?
We suggest: volunteer for Tim Walz's campaign and contribute to the Walz campaign via the ActBlue Netroots Candidates page.
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