In a story at Minnpost about this past weekend's congressional district conventions, Doug Grow writes:
Tim Walz, perhaps the state's most popular DFLer, also was unopposed in winning endorsement in the 1st District Convention. His opponent is undetermined, because Brian Davis, the Republicans' endorsed candidate, will face state Sen. Dick Day, who skipped the endorsement process, in a September primary.
Amy Klobuchar may actually have Walz beat in the popular department, but the congressman certainly gets high marks.
We just returned from liveblogging the health summit in Owatonna (there's another in Winona, but we decided to return home and fine tune our vegetable garden plan). Listening to a group of older women talk about the summit after the crowd cleared out, we were impressed that while most were talking about how great it was to have meetings like the one they'd just been to, what they were discussing mainly were the wide-ranging ideas presented to them.
That ability to get ordinary citizens engaged in considering what they want for their country may be the key to the Congressman's high marks. We've seen the same thing happen after other forums.
Meanwhile, Grow's statement about the primary is echoed in the Post Bulletin's convention coverage today. Matt Stolle writes:
Walz is seeking reelection after defeating GOP. Rep. Gil Gutknecht in the 2006 election that saw Democrats take over the U.S. House after 12 years of political exile.
State Republican leaders have made defeating Walz a top priority and hope to brand him as someone out of step with the district's values. But Republicans are currently caught up in their own intra-party dispute over a nominee.
Although Mayo Clinic physician Brian Davis won the GOP's endorsement last month, state Sen. Dick Day says he will challenge Davis in the Sept. 9 primary. Walz, moreover, boasts a large fund-raising lead over both candidates at the moment.
The lead:
Touting his work on veterans affairs issues, ethics reform and bringing a new accountability to Washington D.C., U.S. Rep. Tim Walz promised Saturday to run the "single largest grass-roots campaign" in the history of the 1st Congressional District as he accepted the DFL Party's endorsement for Congress.
"We're going to put to rest once and for all: You do not come to the people of America and ask them to send you to Washington based on fear, divisiveness (and) half-truths," Walz told applauding delegates.
Walz, a Mankato high school teacher and former football coach, was unanimously endorsed Saturday by delegates at the DFL 1st Congressional District in Southwest Middle School in Albert Lea. He was introduced by his wife, Gwen, who brought the convention to a standing ovation with a speech that related how Walz had proposed to her.
Basically, among people who have heard all candidates across the state speak, Tim Waltz is definitely the best speaker.
Posted by: Grace Kelly | April 28, 2008 at 04:22 PM