The Mankato Free Press reports in After ballots are cast, just wait and watch:
Three candidates for federal office were in the Mankato area Monday.
. . .Congressman Tim Walz, DFL-Mankato, was door-knocking, hand-shaking and volunteer-rallying Monday in New Ulm and at Minnesota State University in the morning and at Gustavus Adolphus College and MSU in the evening.
Walz’s Republican opponent — Mayo Clinic physician Brian Davis — joined U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman for a four-city tour along Highway 14. It started in Winona at 8 a.m. and made stops in Rochester and Owatonna before coming to Charley’s restaurant in Mankato at 2:30 p.m. for a rally with area supporters and volunteers. . . .
A Republican friend who was at the Owatonna stop says that Davis wasn't introduced at the event, which was Norm-centered.
KAAL-TV reports on the Sprint to the Finish. Davis isn't mentioned as a party to a Coleman stop in Rochester. Walz says:
And Incumbent Congressman Tim Walz is busy making sure his supporters are having a good time during these final hours.
"This is game time so they feel very pepped up about it. They're ready to go we feel very confident that we've made a strong case to the public."
Fox 47 in Rochester takes A look at Democrat Tim Walz. Hotline asks if people in Southern Minnesota are Feeling Fritz'y?.
The State Department's america.gov site says Democrat Barack Obama Favored in Minnesota, Polls Show, with a subhead saying that the U.S. Senate and House races are close in MN-01. However, the rest of the article offers up little evidence to support that conclusion in the later. Rather, readers find this:
1ST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: WALZ VS. DAVIS
In 2006, in a wave of dissatisfaction with Republicans, Democrat Tim Walz, a high school teacher and retired Army National Guard command sergeant major, won the Minnesota 1st congressional seat, upsetting a six-term Republican incumbent.(See “Southern Minnesota's Congressional Candidates Focus on Economy.”)
In 2008, Republican challenger Brian Davis, a physician specializing in cancer, says Walz is too liberal for the district.
Walz and Davis differ over approaches to economic, energy and immigration policy, and the causes of climate change.
The Rochester Post Bulletin, in its endorsement of Walz, said the first-term congressman so far has represented southern Minnesota well, including support for alternative energy development. The paper also cited his understanding of middle-class workers’ concerns.
In the district's other daily newspapers making endorsements, only the Fairmont Sentinel (which no one can remember supporting a Democrat) endorsed Davis. Along with the Post Bulletin, the Albert Lea Tribune, the New Ulm Journal, the Winona Daily News, and the Worthington Globe endorsed Walz. The Journal and the Globe didn't endorse any other Democrat. Statewide, the Minneapolis Star Tribune endorsed Walz. The Austin Herald did not endorse in federal races, while the Mankato Free Press made no endorsements at all.
Across the blogosphere, others are predicting a strong Walz win. We think he'll garner between 54 and 55 percent of the vote. Most friends from both major parties say they believe that we're being too conservative, and that the incumbent will get between 55 and 59 percent. One Republican suggests that Davis will be held to 38 percent; the other outlier is a Republican chum who suggests that Walz will be held to 52 percent. The third party candidate should be a non-factor. We will all know soon enough.
One of the CubeZoo bloggers picks Walz in elections { endorsements.
CQ Politics asks How Many House and Senate Seats Will the Democrats Gain? Short answer:
“First, CQ Politics now rates Democratic candidates as slightly to strongly favored to win 13 races for seats currently held by Republicans (including 10 of the 19 races in the Leans Democratic category), while just one Democratic seat is rated as leaning Republican. Second, there is a huge mismatch in the No Clear Favorite list, with 20 of the 26 races in that category for Republican seats. And third, there also is an imbalance in the parties’ upset bids: 20 races for Republican seats are rated Leans Republican to 10 races for Democratic seats rated Leans Democratic, and there are 22 Republican seats rated Republican Favored to 19 Democratic seats rated Democrat Favored.
We'll be updating readers throughout the day live from Mankato.
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