The Associated Press's Martiga Lohn finds that In southern Minn., anti-bailout vote doesn't hurt. Reporting from Rochester, she finds:
The race for Congress here was supposed to revolve about immigration or gas prices. Then Wall Street melted down.
Now worry about the economy - and debate over Democratic Rep. Tim Walz's vote against the $700 million bailout - are overshadowing everything else in this southern Minnesota city of health care and technology workers. . . .
Actually, the race was "supposed to" revolve about immigration according to Senator Dick Day, who has gone on to his reward at NASCAR tracks. Davis was the one who wants the race to "suppose to revolve" around gas prices, but now it looks as if he steered off course. (Or perhaps Davis was just a one trick pony to begin with, and the meltdown exposed that).
Lohn continues:
. . .The issue has complicated the race for Davis, who is trying to paint Walz as too close to liberal Democrats in Congress and out-of-touch with the district.
"Has this district been represented by the independent voice you thought you were getting?" he asked at a debate Thursday in Rochester.
But Walz's anti-bailout stance makes it harder to sell that line, said Chris Gilbert, a political scientist at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. He gives Walz the edge in their contest, saying that Davis lacks both money and visibility.
"It would be difficult for Brian Davis to credibly charge that Tim Walz has stood up for bigger government or tax increases," Gilbert said. "Walz is a Democrat who fits the district."
At the beginning of October, Walz's campaign had more than $1 million in the bank. Davis's campaign has yet to report its latest numbers but has lagged so far. . . .
Help Congressman Walz keep his lead in the fundraising department by contributing here and volunteer to join the grassroots team here.
And don't forget the Debate Minnesota match on Monday, October 13, 7 p.m. at Ostrander Auditorium on the Mankato State University campus. It's Gus Walz's second birthday--and Michelle Obama is also coming to visit the district his father represents.
Update: If we weren't heading to Rochester to see Michele Obama, we'd definitely go see this event at the U's Humphrey Institute:
Ashwin Madia (DFL)
“Green Technology, Green Power, and Greenbacks: A Plan to Protect our Environment and our Economy”
Monday, October 13, 2008
Noon - 1:15pm
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