With FEC year-end reports due on Saturday, the committee for state senator Dick Day has filed a termination report. This action matches what we've been hearing: that Senator Day, a.k.a the Termindaytor, is more interested in running for state senate again in 2010 and having a hand in redistricting than in meeting the fate handed Brian Davis in November 2008 by the disciplined Walz grassroots campaign.
Day's committee took in $11,670.00 from October 1 until the end of 2008, but refunded $2300. Day's committee ended up owing the candidate under $1500, having paid back most of the $23,000 the Owatonna legislator lent to it.
The brief summary page: 5. Covering Period 10/01/2008 Through 12/31/2008
Column A This Period
Column B Election Cycle-To-Date
6. Net Contributions (other than loans)
(a) Total Contributions (other than loans)
11670.00
232773.46
(b) Total Contribution Refunds
2300.00
0.00
(c) Net Contributions (6(a) - 6(b))
9370.00
232773.46
7. Net Operating Expenditures
(a) Total Operating Expenditures
3285.39
240605.25
(b) Total Offsets to Operating Expenditures
0.00
0.00
(c) Net Operating Expenditures
3285.39
240605.25
8. Cash on Hand at Close of Reporting Period
0.00
9. Debts and Obligations Owed TO the Committee
0.00
Itemize all on SCHEDULE C or SCHEDULE D
10. Debts and Obligations Owed BY the Committee
1493.27
Itemize all on SCHEDULE C or SCHEDULE D
Davis' committee has filed its year-end report as well, and it's quite curious. While Davis had his committee pay its $124,000 debt to him in November after the 2008 election, we see that it again has obiligations to the candidate.
Between November 25 and the close of 2008, the Davis committee took in $1775, with a total of $3380 gathered in the new cycle; it has spent $4724.47, while reporting $2922.13 cash on hand at the end of the year. However, it owed $7379.00, mostly to Davis himself.
Congressman Walz's committee reports zero debt and $30528.16 cash on hand at the close of 2008. The committee did very little fundraising in the final five weeks of the year, taking in $7295.00 ($10857.02 for the new cycle).
It's a slow news day on the prairie. We did notice that state representative Randy Demmer, who lost the Republican endorsement to Brian Davis--whom Congressman defeated decisively in November--filed his year-end report on January 13.
Demmer closed the year with $99.25 in the bank and a $135,150 campaign committee debt owed to himself. The committee did not engage in any activity from October 1, 2008 until the close of the year. Demmer was successful re-elected to the Minnesota House in November.
Neither Davis, Day nor Walz has filed his year-end report, due January 31. With the deadline approaching, we'll be checking the FEC site.
“As representatives of rural districts,
we know that rural communities are prepared with ready-to-go
infrastructure projects that could put people to work within months,”
the members of Congress wrote. “Rural communities have the workforce
and the infrastructure needs to effectively utilize new federal
spending. Rural areas should be provided with an equitable share of
economic stimulus funds to improve their local economies just like
metropolitan communities.”
The
Job Creation and Unemployment Relief Act of 2008, H.R. 7110, included a
provision to distribute stimulus funds between rural and metropolitan
communities.
The
letter explained that funds in the Federal Transit Administration
Transit Capital Assistance Grants were specifically reserved for rural
formula grants.
The
representatives said Congress should “build on the precedent created by
the transit funds in the Job Creation and Unemployment Relief Act with
guarantees in new economic recovery legislation to ensure an equitable
distribution of all infrastructure funds between rural and metropolitan
areas.”
One of the hardest-fought battles of the 110th Congress--the expansion of SCHIP to insure more children--is coming up again this week in Congress. The New York Times reports on the bill in Congress Set to Renew Health Care for Children. Congressman Walz supported earlier version of the legislation; in an emailed response to a question about the measure, his district director writes that his support is unchanged.
Who knows, perhaps the Republicans might even field a candidate in the First who will do better than the last one, who garnered all of 32.93 percent in November despite reporting slightly over $1 million in receipts to the FEC. Walz received 62.5 of the vote in a three-way contest.
That nearly 30 point spread might provide thoughtful readers with a hint of why--unlike this time in January, 2007--we have no news of possible Republican challengers in MN-01, however much the NRCC is warming district media fax machines and email inboxes. Perhaps a lamb be sent out as well as press releases.
Clip art: Artist's rendition of next Walz opponent. On the other hand, this cautionary tale from the Muppets of the dangers of taking lost lambs for granted should keep Walz's campaign political director on his toes:
Update 12/16/2008: The news of El's cash-on-hand, from a report filed with the FEC on December 4, has been noticed this morning on several blogs in the Twin Cities. We took moment this morning to post our observations about The pace of life on rural blogs: Tinklenberg's war chest[end 12/16/2008 update].
Several of Minnesota's congressional candidates have filed their post-election reports with the FEC. In Congressman Walz's filing, we find that the re-election committee spent $2,844,145.73 and closed with a mere $59,965.27 cash on hand on November 24.
Brian Davis's committee has yet to file its report, due tomorrow. We're curious to see if he spent most of his committee's treasury on the campaign for election, or withheld enough money to pay back the candidate's loans to his campaign.
The committee ended up spending $896,704.35 while taking in receipts of $1,093,808.17. Davis had $5871.60 in his committee's treasury at the close oft he reporting period on November 25. [end update.]
The reports from the hotly-contested Third district help put the Walz figure into perspective. Winner Erik Paulsen spent $2,614,963.84 and had $108,154.18 remaining in the bank. Ashwin Madia went through $2,622,768.64, with $43,997.98.
These sums do not reflect independent expenditures, of which there were much in the Third, but very little at all in the First.
Pick your adverb + adjective combo of choice for describing the outcome of the Walz-Davis-Mikkelson romp of 2008. Any one of the three provided by Dr. Ostermeier is adequate.
In Minnesota Is Not Massachusetts, Smart Politics has some rather unflattering things to say about the DFL's performance at the polls. An interesting analysis that is no doubt extremely substantial, though we wonder at the wording of this passage:
In other words, if the DFL is carrying the ‘right message’ for
Minnesotans, how is it that that the Republican Party held the
governorship in 2006, held 6 out of 7 Congressional seats since 2006,
and appears to have held, subject to the recount, the most fiercely
fought Senate race in state history?
Since the Republicans don't hold six congressional seats among the state's eight congressional districts, we think Ostermeier is only writing in the smart prose above about those congressional seats that Republicans held in 2006. The passage itself is certainly a lesson in smart style.
Were we to apply Ostermeier's clear diction and crystalline sentence construction to a discussion of the congressional seats and the statewide constitutional offices held by the Democrats since 2006, the passage might read something like this:
In other words, if the RPM is carrying the ‘right values/ principles’ for
Minnesotans, how is it that that the Democratic Party held the attorney general office in 2006, held 10 out of 10 Congressional seats since 2006 (with a gain of one that year), held a Senate seat in 2006, and gained two additional two statewide constitutional offices in 2006, though it appears to have lost, subject to the recount, the most fiercely
fought Senate race in state history?
It would be apparent to nonpartisan observers that a plurality – if not a majority – of statewide or district-wide Minnesotans are actually voting for Democrats in these high profile contests save one. Indeed, both questions--Ostermeier's and our own imitatio--remain in our mind after reading the learned analysis.
We are less impressed with the scholar's acumen when we find the doctorate of political science glossing over The Mysteries of Southern Minnesota's Recent Voter Behavior, which seem to puzzle political scientists everywhere:
Only Tim Walz (CD-01) successfully met the challenge to ride the
Democratic wave into office, and he was clearly aided in 2006 by
numerous gaffes made by Gil Gutknecht during his last term in office.
There must be something in the water up in the Cities that renders Walz's surprise--but definitive--victory in 2006 and this year's landslide unfathomable to people who are much smarter than your ordinary blogging heifer.
We tend to think that Walz won his seat in 2006 by out-hustling and out-organizing Gutknecht, who was feeling pretty snug. Another factor in the 2006 race was the deliberate and strategic organizing by the MN-01 DFL after redistricting. A strong tail wind didn't hurt, nor did Walz's unpretentious personality and skills gained in teaching, coaching, and soldiering.
Nah--those sorts of things on the ground couldn't matter, and so we see a DFL win explained by smart people as a mere Republican loss brought on by gaffes. Ostermeier is silent about Walz's 2008 win, so smarter people will just have to repeat that Walz is a good fit for the district or whatever the current conventional urban wisdom might be.
RPM Chair Ron Carey has launched one chestnut that posits that Walz's campaign spending "bought" the election, and we suspect we'll be hearing more of this one. Our disaffected pachyderm friends in the First tell us that Second District Republican Congressman John Kline would like Brian Davis to run again. This being the case, we doubt people smarter than we are will be blaming the 2008 GOP debacle in the MN-01 race on the candidate's gaffes, general haplessness and lack of appeal for the district's voters.
Instead, smarter people than blogging bovines will continue to call Davis "formidable," despite the fact that he had raised over $1 million by the pre-general election reporting deadline in October (see line 24 here) to get less than 33 percent of the vote. This is as formidable a loss as we know of in southern Minnesota.
The new RPM platitude is to point to Walz's fundraising as the culprit. A contrast of the MN-01 contests in 2004 and 2008, both presidential years in which the MN-01 race featured an IP candidate, might be a good starting point for determining the actual barrier for Davis. Indeed, Davis's fundraising and the duration of his campaign provide a sharp contrast to the bid by last-minute DFL candidate Leigh Pomeroy in 2004.
Pomeroy raised a $55,910 during his entire five-month campaign, launched in July 2004 when health issues forced endorsed DFL candidate Joe Mayer to withdraw from the race. In contrast, Davis first announced his bid for Congress in the unlikely confines on Representative Walz's own office, which Davis was visiting on behalf of ASTRO in April 2007. Davis didn't file his FEC papers until June 1, 2007, but we understand some very smart people in the Beltway and the Cities were already talking to him about running by then.
Davis thus had over a year more than Pomeroy in which to gain name recognition; purists might point to the endorsement and primary process, but even so, Davis had months more in the public forum and far more walking around money than Mr. Pomeroy enjoyed.
Despite a much shorter time to get to know the public and a comparative teensy treasury, Pomeroy not only received a greater percentage of the vote (35.59%) in 2004 than Davis did in 2008 (32.93%), but the prof and wine critic also received a greater number of votes (115,088) than did the Mayo oncologist (109,453).
Thus, when we turn to the dollar per voter ratio, Pomeroy raised $.49 per vote received, while Davis's ratio is $9.13 per vote. And remember, we're pumping up the DFL dollars here : the Pomeroy fundraising includes some money that came in post-election, while the Davis figure does not. (Walz raised $12.88 per vote gained--again, a figure that will change when the post-election reports are out; we will also be able to compare spending per vote).
Smart people will probably continue to ponder Southern Minnesotans' lack of interest in Brian Davis and will in time come up with explanations that are just as clever as their analysis of the 2006 Walz victory. It certainly can't be because of any weakness in a formidable candidate. We can't wait.
Photo: Anthropologists captured this image of southern Minnesotans in a recent expedition.
Is there a worse hack than G.R. Anderson, Jr., in the Twin Cities' press corps? He never met a Republican talking point about Congressman Walz he didn't wholeheartedly recycle (just as he has a hard time getting basic facts right).
The wet sloppies for hapless candidate Brian Davis (whom Anderson has repeatedly called "formidable", even after the dude raised over $1 million to score only 32.9% of the vote, the lowest percentage of any major party candidate since the First was redistricted in 2002) are one thing.
While the first district Republicans' endorsed candidate rejects government programs
to help incubate Southern Minnesota's nascent renewable energy
industry, we can report this evening that Bluestem Prairie has
discovered that the pachyderm party at least supports recycling.
However, Scripture reminds us that re-use isn't always the best
option. We recall that memorable analogy from the Gospels that tells us
to pour new wine into new skins, lest the old wineskin burst and leave
one heckova mess to clean up.
And hence a quip in the "breaking news" of Brian Davis's endorsement may indeed indicate that something's broke with Republican congressional campaigns.
Prior to the vote, state Republican Chairman Ron Carey urged
delegates to unite to defeat Walz, whom he said "masqueraded" as a
conservative when he ousted Gil Gutknecht in 2006.
"The only conservative thing about Tim Walz was his haircut," Carey said. . . .
Republicans are trying to emphasize what they portray as Walz’s
liberal outlook, which they said will not play well with voters who
voted in favor of Bush both in 2000 and 2004.
“The only thing conservative about Tim Walz is his haircut,” state party spokesman Mark Drake told CQPolitics.com.
The NYTimes and CQPolitics teamed up to share coverage in the 2006 elections.
Minnesota wasn't the only place nor Walz the only Democratic candidate against whom the elephants rallied this punchline. Witness a 2006 ad against Montana's Jon Tester:
Earlier this week, the NRSC released both a television and radio ad
centered on Tester's trademark buzz cut. Both are set in a fictional
barbershop and feature the punch line: "Conservative haircut. Liberal
values.
Like Walz, Tester unseated an incumbent.
We knew that the National Republican Congressional Committee was
short on cash, but we're surprised to see a new candidate's chances
poured so recklessly into the old skin of an unsuccessful slogan.
Meanwhile, the Republicans are awfully quiet about Walz's ranking as a centrist by the nonpartisan National Journal.
We think they are so far to the extreme right that the center looks
far, far way to the left. It's quite likely that Southern Minnesota's
common sense voters are closer to that center as well.
Anderson must think he's pretty clever to cite the RPM chair's dimwitticism, as do Ron Carey and his own hacks. Somehow, the fact that repeating this line didn't impress Southern Minnesota's voters in two back-to-back election cycles hasn't sunk in for Carey or the stenographers like Anderson who find this sort of thing fresh and enticing.
Perhaps Anderson simply lives for scraps of fawning attention from Ron Carey's favorite online hack. And while we hope Anderson might consider addressing that neediness in the privacy of an office of a skilled professional, we have to wonder what stake the MinnPost editors and proprietors have enabling Anderson's infatuation with the Republican Party's definition of Congressman Walz.
If the MinnPost editors agree to qualify the DFL MN-01 candidates in 2002 and 2004 as "formidable" (after all, each received a greater percentage of the vote on Election Day against Gutknecht than did Davis against Walz, while each raised a mere fraction of the money that Davis raised and spent this cycle), we'd be satisfied. [end update]
Second update: Ron Carey whines about Davis being outspent. However, it's interesting to do the due diligence and make the comparison that Anderson wasn't able to muster. Walz's 2006 pre-election filing shows that Walz had spent $697,445.19 by the time of the final fundraising report sent to the FEC before that year's election. This year, Davis had spent $742,052.36 by the time of the pre-election report. Davis's bid simply failed to catch the attention of voters and those willing to fund campaigns.
Walz's appeal to people in his district fueled his successful fundraising, and the percentage of the incumbent's dollars from within the district and state made his fundraising resemble more that of a challenger than an officeholder. Carey can shriek as much as he wishes that Walz bought the election, but the fundraising patterns reveal that Minnesotans in and out of the First Cognressional disitrict invested in an elected official whose work they appreciate. [end update].
The Mankato Free Press takes a look at local reaction to Tim Pawlenty's observations at a GOP governors' meeting:
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, speaking to fellow
Republican governors in Florida last week, said the Republican Party is
in deep trouble, losing its ability to compete in large swaths of
America and ceding key blocs of voters to the Democrats. . .
. . .Area Republicans, however, aren’t as gloomy as some of the GOP’s national leaders...
“I’m almost expecting the Obama
administration to make a botch of things,” Bade said. “They’re too
ideologically socialist, and a lot of their ideas are impractical. They
just don’t add up.”
It's telling for the fortunes of First District Republicans when Senator Dick Day is the voice of reason:
State Sen. Dick Day ran
for Congress this year but saw his party opt for a more socially
conservative Republican, who lost badly to Democratic Congressman Tim
Walz. Day said the GOP needs to stand first for responsible governing —
particularly in spending.
The budget deficits run up by the
Republican-controlled federal government “drove me crazy,” Day said.
And he thought his party’s focus on abortion, gay marriage bans and
other social issues — at a time when Americans were losing their jobs
and homes — didn’t sit well with voters.
“Hey, I don’t blame people,” he said of those who chose to punish the GOP in federal elections. . . .
. . .Day thinks there may be a
backlash when the cost of Obama’s spending proposals begin to add up.
At the same time, he doesn’t rule out the possibility that Democrats —
with universal health care, tax cuts and programs aimed at helping the
middle class, more regulation on corporate America — are offering what
voters genuinely want.
“Maybe people want more government,” Day said. “I could be on the wrong side. I’m smart enough to realize it.”
Day lost September's Republican primary by a slightly less embarrassing margin than that enjoyed by the far more socially conservative candidate in the general election.
Congressman Walz visited a class of meddling kids (his favorite kind) on Wednesday, according the Austin version of the Post Bulletin in Students grill their Congressman:
Congressman Tim Walz, who last week was re-elected to the U.S. House
of Representatives for a second term, faced tough questions Wednesday
from some of his biggest critics: students at Grand Meadow High School
who wanted to know what he was going to do to secure their futures.
Walz,
DFL-Mankato, spoke to students about his role in Congress, and about
their own roles in the country's future. Students asked a range of
questions, from where Walz lives when he spends his weeks in
Washington, D.C., to what he plans to do about the national debt,
failing economy and job losses. Many of Walz's responses emphasized the
importance of education.
The version posted under a tamer headline, Students quiz Walz, includes an interesting Q & A session. Our friends who speculate about a potential gubernatorial bid may latch on to this item:
Walz also remained mum on whether he plans to run for governor in 2010.
"Right now I'm focusing on getting through this re-election, so no decision yet," said Walz.
Mostly, Minnesotans can't help but think about last week's election because of the Senate recount. The Mankato Free Press editorial board notes that the Acrimony over Senate race grows. Conclusion:
Voters and average citizens probably thought the
political fighting and acrimony should have ended Nov. 4.
Unfortunately, there appears to be a few more weeks or months of
political nastiness they will have to endure.
Discourse simply isn't what it used to be in the Key City. The Free Press has shut down its online forum, the paper reports in Forum shut down after users go too far. Money quote:
“I don’t want to tell people they don’t have a right to
swear — they do. Just not at my party.” — Free Press Publisher Jim
Santori, explaining the reasons behind the decision to shut down the
forum on this Web site.
We'll miss the insanity.
Coleman supporters often imply that only Franken can benefit from the recount. Not all votes will go Al's way; some shifts occurred in the recent pre-recount audit. The Cottonwood County Citizen reports in Routine audit yields extra vote for Coleman in county:
After a few
days of seeing vote corrections land on the Franken side, Republican
Senate Candidate Norm Coleman received some good news from Cottonwood
County--he gained one vote.
The error was found during a routine
audit of county scanning equipment on Wednesday. Cottonwood County
Auditor Jan Johnson said a voter used a pencil (instead of a pen) and
didn't mark the ballot dark enough.
Consequently, the vote was not read by the scanner. Only two of the county's 28 precincts were tested on Wednesday.
However, Johnson says the public should not expect a major change, once next week's local recount is complete. . . .
Since election night, [Nobles County Auditor Sharon] Balster has had to meet special requests from
both the Coleman and Franken campaigns — including making copies of all
of the tapes from the counting machines, providing information on the
number of absentee ballots mailed out, returned, accepted and rejected.
Both political parties had representatives present at last Friday’s
board of canvass meeting and Monday’s post-election review.
“My list of things to do is enormous,” Balster said.
Newly elected GOP state rep Greg Davids puts his narrow rematch victory over Ken Tschumper into perspective for the Rushford Tri-County Record:
"We
feel very fortunate (to win) because the congressional candidate
(Republican Brian Davis) got 33 percent in the district, the
presidential candidate (Republican John McCain) got 42 percent, and I
got 51 percent. So we're excited."
The 2006 margin was so close that it triggered an automatic recount in the state house district. A
Republican friend in the First shared news that Davids has been mentioned as
a potential candidate to run for the congressional seat in 2010, but
we've heard no more about this rumor. Since Davids retains his
seniority in the Minnesota House after sitting out a term, it is likely
that he will garner his share of earned media.
The 2008 GOP congresssional candidate in the First questioned the emergency food shelf aid in the Farm Bill; this may not have been the cycle to challenge such programs. Federal aid to food pantries is not enough to meet the need and is intended to be a supplement to private support. The unfortunate need for emergency food assistance is clear as we read the district's papers.
The Owatonna Peoples Press notes that about ten percent of Steele County's population is getting helping from the food shelf in Boy Scout food drive kicks off this weekend. Steele County residents should give what they can:
On Saturday, Boy Scout troops from all over Steele County will be out
in the county collecting food donations from people’s door steps
beginning at 9:30 a.m. All donated food will be sent to the Steele
County Food Shelf.
Tom Barry, district executive for the Game
Haven Council (which oversees Steele, Dodge and Goodhue counties), said
they are looking for a variety of different foods, including canned
fruits and vegetables, soup, pasta and flour, to name a few.
“We hope that people have their food out by about 9 a.m. this weekend,” Barry said. . . .
. . .If people miss putting out the food for Boy Scouts on Saturday, there
will be two other drop-off sites. They include the Steele County Food
Shelf or at the old Century 21 Building at 1836 Cedar Ave., located
next to Godfather’s Pizza. Both drop-off sites will be open from 10
a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
Trom added they are looking for
additional volunteers to help sort food donations at the old Century 21
building and then bring it to the Steele County Food Shelf.
If
people don’t have food to donate, Trom also said monetary donations
help. Because the food shelf is a non-profit, Trom said the
organization is able to pay for more items at a store compared to the
average dollar.
Photo: Walz returning to his Mankato West classroom in his first term. Washington's got nothing on the tough crowd in the public schools. Photo cribbed from the NYTimes.
A Republican friend in the First pointed out that while the percentage of the vote received by Walz's challenger fell within the range of that received by all but one of those pachyderms seeking DFL-held seats, their fundraising was far less successful than that of the Davis campaign.
We had our doubts about that observation, but a look at both voting and fundraising clearly shows our ever-reliable and right-ward acquaintance to be on the money once again. While the post-general reports of spending aren't due until December 4, the pre-election reports back up his analysis.
While the money gap of 1:2.6 may seem large, it's dwarved by those between Republican challngers and DFL incumbents, all but one of whom received between 27.67 to 32.21. In short, the rest of the GOP contenders received a much higher return on the Republican dollar.
Ed Mathews raised $82330 by the same date, to get 31.31 percent of the vote in the Fourth. DFL incumbent Betty McCollum had raised $684,485.
Glen Menze raised under $2000.00 in the 7th to get 27.67 percent of the vote. Powerful House ag chair Collin Peterson had netted $1,100,084 for the cycle up to October 15.
Michael Cummins raised $15,805 in the 8th to 32.21 percent of the vote, providing another sharp contrast with a house committee chair. Oberstar had collected $1,909,961 for the cycle by the close of the pre-election reporting period.
By way of contrast, all of the DFL challengers--though unsuccessful--received at least 40 percent, while raising larger campaign war chests. Steve Sarvi, who faced the greatest money gap, but no Independence Party challenger, received 42.55 of the vote. Well-funded Ash Madia drew less, at 40.85 percent, with El Tinklenberg drawing 43.43 percent; both faced a three-person race with IP candidates on the ballot.
Sarvi raised $483,469 for the cycle as of October 15; Madia had total receipts of $2,302,958; The Tink had raised $1,110,978 by the same time. Among the Republicans, John Kline raised $1,392,021 for the cycle by October 15; Erik Paulsen had raised $2,425,791in total receipts; Michele Bachmann had pocketed $2,509,179 for the cycle by the end of thereporting period. . We expect the post-general figures for both parties' candidates in the Third and Sixth to rise considerably.
We can see that Davis's fundraising was in the league of failed DFL congressional bids, while his campaign enjoyed about the same dismal results at the polls as other unsuccessful Republicans with far less coin. Readers can draw their own conclusions about the meaning of that fact.
(All the election figures here are unofficial numbers from queries of the SOS
election results database this afternoon, and may change as the official
tally is reported).
How about a little Steve Wonder for a numb November day?
We're home after a good day in Mankato; headlines in Minnesota's media spell out just how good it was. The Mankato Free Press reports in Walz wins second victory:
The 1st District had long been portrayed as a Republican-leaning district, a description that may need to change.
“I think so,” Walz said at midnight. “But I
don’t think there should be any talk that it’s a Democratic district
either. I think it’s a pragmatic district that wants to get things
done.”
For the second straight election, Walz had
a strong Democratic wind at his back. But he won every single county in
the district, including deeply conservative counties in southwestern
Minnesota. In Pipestone County, for instance, Walz was given a 1
percentage point win by voters who preferred John McCain over Barack
Obama 55-42 percent.
On the verge of giving Walz a larger margin
of victory than Gutknecht ever recorded, 1st District residents were
quick to compliment the freshman lawmaker.
“He’s been doing a good job,” said Kris
Frohling after voting at Hosanna Lutheran Church in Mankato. “He thinks
of the people. He’s a down-to-earth kind of guy.”
As the results continued to pour in on Election Night, Walz credited
his efforts on veterans' issues, the farm bill and transportation for
his victory.
"This is a performance review of how you have done, and I am very
humbled by it and very honored," he said. "But I think it sets the tone
for what people expect. They are not really interested in partisanship.
They are interested in what you are going to get done."
First-term Democratic Rep. Tim Walz, representing the southern
counties, beat conservative Republican Brian Davis. With 93 percent of
the vote counted, Walz led 189,977 (63 percent) to 99,585 (33 percent).
Walz said he thinks one reason he won was because “I did not get involved in partisan politics.”
But, there was another reason he won so big: “There was a pretty good wind at Democrats’ backs overall.”
Democrats gained nearly 20 seats in the House, which Walz said should help Barack Obama to “have a vision.”
As midnight neared, Walz said that it is time to change gears from the campaign.
“Tomorrow we put the politics away,” he said. “We start working to find solutions.”
With five percent of precincts reporting, the Star Tribune has called it for Congressman Walz. We are going to go out on a limb at Bluestem Prairie and concur.
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."
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.
“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.
Using the same method
that has worked well for CQ’s election analysts over decades, we’ve
been tracking 481 Senate, House and governorship races for two years
and have deemed an unusually high figure of 135 races as at least
somewhat competitive.
On Tuesday, we at CQ Politics find out how well we did with our ratings.
But
first, my own personal estimates. I predict that Democrats are likely
to gain eight Senate seats and in the neighborhood of 25 House seats.
With only a small handful of the 11 governors’ races highly
competitive, I foresee a net gain of one for the Democrats.
The Democrats are maintaining their
momentum from the 2006 midterm elections, when big gains gave the party
control of both chambers of Congress. And, the success of Democratic
strategists at putting dozens more Republican seats “in play” this year
has made it likely that they will significantly expand majorities in
both the Senate and the House.
The
Republican Party’s endorsed candidate, oncologist and neophyte
politician Brian Davis, survived a Sept. 9 primary against state Sen.
Dick Day. Davis now is looking to unseat Walz after his 2006 upset of
six-term Republican Rep. Gutknecht, but the incumbent has a serious
financial lead.
Berenson adds this caveat:
And even those races rated Democrat Favored
or Republican Favored — meaning the named party is likely to win —
carry the warning label that an upset is not an unrealistic possibility.
Thus, getting and helping Congressman Walz in these last two days until the polls close on Tuesday evening is essential. The Walzians are working with the coordinated campaign on GOTV. Volunteer here.
A video clip at the Austin Herald of one of the Walz barnstorming events, Congressman Tim Walz visits Austin,illustrates that most of the stops aren't just about rallying the faithful; they're about putting walking list and call sheets for voter contact into the hands of the faithful so they have the tools to get out the vote. From the accompanying article:
Politicians made their last rounds over the weekend as U.S. Rep. Tim
Walz, accompanied by former Vice President Walter Mondale, stopped by
the Mower County DFL Headquarters in Austin Saturday.
The Democrat visited with supporters at the Labor Center before they headed out door-knocking for his campaign.
“Making the case is already done,” Walz explained on Saturday. “If we watch what we can control, it can work itself out.
“This is really when the speeches are over,” he said.
Veterans’ issues, transportation and agriculture have been his top
priorities, Walz said, pointing out he is focusing on a “middle ground”
and “taking back trust in one another” if elected to a second term. . . .
The report is an eye-opening contrast with newspaper accounts of Davis' campaign stops, where he speechifies to the gathered base, then tells them to round up their friends to vote. The Republican is struggling to establish his message, having been put on the defensive, and asks his followers to provide their own resources, rather than providing the tools to reach voters and win.
Come to think of it, that's pretty much what the Davis campaign has been about all along. The base, and little else.
We'll be closing most posts in the next day with reasons to vote for Congressman Walz. Here are a couple of endorsements. From the NRA:
NRA-PVF Endorses Tim Walz
for Re-election to U.S. House of Representatives
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
FAIRFAX, VA-The National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund
(NRA-PVF) is endorsing Congressman Tim Walz for re-election to the U.S.
House of Representatives in the first congressional district of
Minnesota.
“During his first term in the House, Congressman Walz consistently
supported the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners and
sportsmen, and demonstrated a strong commitment to the Second Amendment
and our country’s rich hunting heritage,” said Chris W. Cox, Chairman
of NRA-PVF. “Because of his unwavering pro-gun support, Tim Walz earned
an ‘A’ rating and an endorsement from NRA-PVF.”
Congressman Tim Walz said, “I grew up hunting and spent 24 years in
the Army National Guard. I know how important Second Amendment rights
are to the people of southern Minnesota. I’m proud to stand with the
NRA to protect our Second Amendment rights, and I’m truly grateful for
their endorsement.”
Rep. Walz cosponsored the BATFE Reform bill that seeks to modernize
and improve BATFE operations by rolling back unnecessary restrictions,
correct errors and codify longstanding congressional policies in the
firearms arena. He also cosponsored the D.C. Gun Ban Repeal and signed
onto the historic Congressional amicus brief in the case of District of
Columbia v. Heller, holding that the Second Amendment protects an
individual right to keep and bear arms.
Cox continued, “Tim Walz believes in southern Minnesota values, and
will continue to be a true and consistent friend in the U.S. House of
Representatives. I encourage all gun-owners and NRA members to re-elect
Tim Walz to the U.S. Congress.”
Chris W. Cox serves as Executive Director and Chairman of NRA-PVF.
The National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund is responsible
for political candidate rankings. These are based on candidate voting
records, public statements and responses to NRA-PVF questionnaires.
We were surprised two years ago when Mankato DFLer Tim Walz pulled
an upset in the First District Congressional Race, unseating the 6-term
incumbent, Rep. Gil Gutknecht, in what has traditionally been a
conservative, Republican district.
We attributed his win, in
large part to the anti-war sentiment at the time, but it was also clear
that Walz had worked very, very hard for the win.
That hard work
has continued since Walz went to Washington. Walz has been an energetic
representative for the district, working on a variety of issues. He is
a frequent visitor to the district, and uses the information he gets
from back home to make legislation that better serves the people.
This
was evident in his work on the Farm Bill. He requested, an got, several
changes and measures added that made it a better bill for Minnesota
farmers. He admits it is not a perfect bill, but a good compromise.
On
military and veterans issues, Walz, a former Command Sergeant Major in
the National Guard, has been a strong supporter of the troops, even as
he opposed the conduct of the war. He went to bat to make sure
Minnesota National Guard troops who served extra-long duty in Iraq were
not deprived of their full benefits over a one-day discrepancy in their
orders. He stood up for the wounded soldiers when unacceptable
conditions were uncovered in the Walter Reed Army Hospital patient
residences.
Walz is opposed by Republican nominee Brian Davis, a
doctor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Davis has an interesting
background as a nuclear engineer, and as a physician. He would probably
have some interesting contributions to make on energy and health care
issues.
But Davis has labored to tie Walz to the Democratic
leadership. We think that effort is not too successful. While Walz's
voting record, according to some rankings, puts him on a high
percentage of votes with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's positions, other
ratings put him in the middle of the pack among liberals in the House.
His recent vote against the economic bailout package went against the
party line.
Fiscally, Walz firmly believes in the "pay as you go"
philosophy of government spending. If the government increases spending
in one area, it has to be paid for with spending cuts elsewhere or, if
need be, a tax. It is an approach that Congress must adopt if runaway
deficit spending is to be brought under control.
Walz says his
first allegiance lies with the people of the First District, not with
the Democratic leadership. We think he has worked hard for this
district in his first term, and deserves a second
Instead of a speech, Mondale and Congressman Tim Walz spent Saturday
just speaking individually to voters and eating hamburger steaks at The
Kitchen. It was part of a tour around southern Minnesota to energize
voters about getting out the vote.
“The case is pretty well
made,” he said. “We think we’ve made a strong case to them and now
we’re just into executing the get-out-the-vote effort.” . . .
. . .As a newcomer to the world of politics, Walz earned 46 percent of the
Steele County vote compared to the 53 percent garnered by his
Republican opponent Gil Gutknecht, the incumbent who Walz managed to
unseat.
But in his first term, Walz described Owatonna as
pragmatic, with voters wanting to see effectiveness. He considers the
city as a “solid, middle-of-America middle-class town” and believes he
can have a better showing here.
“We want to give them a good look and let them know where we stand,” Walz said.
Walz was also campaigning in Republican Dodge County yesterday, as well as Mankato and Rochester. His campaign stops contrast with those Davis has chosen, which seem to be aimed at shoring up the GOP base. Walz's schedule for today, which includes another stop in Owatonna, is here.
Brian Davis was hitting his base in Pipestone, Martin and Brown Counties, with a stab at Nobles County, the New Ulm Journal reports in Davis on the road. He does his usual denial about the down side of privatizating Social Security, while backing away from his earlier, extended flirtation with the national sales tax. Davis would still like voters to believe that the issue only came up once, but BSP readers learned better in our post Brian Davis and Minnesota's flat tax organizers.
He also said he’s opposed on principle to the
numerous tax credits available to individuals and businesses, something
he considers government micro-managing of the economy
was out touting a few tax credits in Brown County, according to the Journal article:
Asked about the record third quarter profits ($14.8 billion) that Exxon
reported this week, Davis said he thinks the investment tax credits oil
companies received for drilling should end. But there should be
incentives to encourage oil companies to go after the large amounts of
U.S. oil that exists in oil shale.
He also favors a John McCain style of tax credit that can be used to
purchase health insurance that goes from job to job, rather than
expecting employers to provide health coverage.
In an email, the Franken campaign tells us that Al will be in Rochester for a little GOTV on Monday:
MONDAY
WHO: Al Franken, Sen. Ann Lynch and former Congressman Rick Nolan WHAT: Franken Joins Rochester GOTV Phonebank WHEN: 9:45 am, Monday, November 3 WHERE: Rochester DFL Office
401 16th Ave NW
Rochester
Wags in the Waseca County News comment section suggest that anybody who mows corn has to be plowed, though at least he wasn't stalking anyone. One wiseacre thinks the perp must have been drinking Grain Belt.
The property damage to the corn was greater than that of the signs--on the other hand, stealing a person's right to political expression dampens democracy. All puns aside, we hope the farmer recovers the lost income and Rice County throws the book at the sign stealer.
Photo: If our selfish feline friend can do his bit, you can help get out the vote, too. Volunteer via the DFL or your local candidate. Sign up to help Walz here.
And now a little White Stripes; if this tune doesn't make you want to get up and at 'em, we don't know what will:
Who's in charge of our children's education? Parents should be in
charge and have their voices heard. Brian Davis is the only one
listening to them in our congressional district. He does not want to
eliminate the Department of Education.
He also said he’s opposed on principle to the
numerous tax credits available to individuals and businesses, something
he considers government micro-managing of the economy.
So we can't fault the letter writer when we consider the source: Davis himself.
On the Democrat side, the excitement has meant more satellite offices both for the Obama campaign, and for state Democrats.
Wothe, for example, has been a paid
satellite representative of the Minnesota Young DFL. She works on
behalf of all Democratic candidates, including Obama, Al Franken, Tim
Walz and Terry Morrow.
Recently, Dr. Brian Davis said during a debate on TV that he
couldn’t name a single idea about how to improve health care for our
veterans. Really? There are more than 50,000 veterans in southern
Minnesota and I bet if you asked just one of them, they would be happy
to give Brian Davis an idea or two. I guess Brian Davis just hasn’t
bothered to ask any of them, or maybe it’s just not a priority for him.
On the other hand, Tim Walz has been a champion for veterans since
he went to Congress, working for an increase in the mileage
reimbursement rates for veterans, making sure our soldiers going to
Kosovo received combat pay for their service, and supporting the new
G.I. Bill. We need to make sure that our representative in Congress has
actually taken the time to think about issues that are important to us,
and from Brian Davis’s own admission, that’s not him.
We're hearing fascinating stories about the Davis campaign from our Republican friends in the district, but none of the tales about Davis's odd behavior and peculiar notions can beat his own statement to the Owatonna People's Press about how the race is close. Well, maybe the Davis campaign declaring the district was a dead heat when the Rochester Republican polled 32 percent.
Several national mock election efforts help young people learn about the electoral process. The results aren't scientific, nor do they predict how the real general election goes, but the elections are fun ways to engage young people.
We noted the results of one such effort yesterday:
After months of preparation — both in and out of the
classroom — Dakota Meadows and Mankato East hosted mock elections on
Thursday. Dakota Meadows’ election, coordinated through National
Student/Parent Mock Election, was decidedly in favor of Obama, who
garnered 347 votes to McCain’s 153. In the U.S. Senate race, Franken
won by just eight votes while Tim Walz, in the U.S. House race, won in
a landslide with 75 percent of the vote. Results from Mankato East’s
mock election, through the Youth Leadership Initiative, weren’t
announced until this morning.
While students could only vote in their own districts, participating teachers can view polling data for the entire state. A friend in the Sixth who had his own students participate in the Youth
Leadership Initiative sent us the screen shot above of the tally so far
for the First.
Fun stuff, but no reason for First District Democrats to slack off in GOTV efforts.We'll have a post up in a bit about today's GOTV highlights.
Minnesotans Say Dr. Brian Davis’s Call to Cut Minimum Standards of Health Care is “Scary, Even For Halloween”
( Mankato and Rochester , Minn. ) – A group of southern Minnesota residents held press conferences today to say that they are sending a letter to Republican Congressional candidate Dr. Brian Davis to express concern about his call to eliminate certain health insurance requirements, like those in Minnesota that require treatment for specific diseases.
Dr. Davis has repeatedly said that Minnesota ’s minimum standards of care for health insurance companies—which require the treatment of diseases like diabetes and alcoholism, as well as cancer screenings—are responsible for driving up the cost of health care. As a result, Dr. Davis has called for fewer of these requirements.
"I don’t agree with Dr. Davis that Minnesota ’s health insurance requirements ‘take away choice,’” said Mary Bliesmer. “These minimum standards prevent insurance companies from taking advantage of people. Dr. Davis is on the side of the insurance companies and eliminating laws that require coverage of lifesaving treatment is pretty scary, even for Halloween.”
“We’re fortunate that here in Minnesota , we’ve got laws that protect people by guaranteeing that their insurance companies will cover important treatments and services,” said Becky Cole from Mankato . “Dr. Davis said we should eliminate many of these protections, and that worries me.”
“Real cost savings in health care come with reduced physician error, government negotiated drug prices, payment reform that rewards outcomes over volume, and inter-operable medical records to reduce duplication, and improve case management,” said State Senator Kathy Sheran of Mankato. “I am disappointed Dr. Davis offered as his center piece of health reform a proposal that increases the insurance company’s control, and restricts the power of the people to set minimum expectations for health care coverage.”
“We cannot keep tweaking a broken system of health care, and that is my primary disagreement with Dr. Davis,” said Dr. Syl Sterioff. “His suggestion that eliminating some of the requirements Minnesota imposes on insurance companies will be transformative is the wrong focus.”
“These minimum standards of care help protect people from being taken advantage of by their health insurance companies,” said Colleen Clark, a nurse. “ If Dr. Davis wants to cut back on them, that’s pretty important for voters to know.”
“In Minnesota , our laws help make sure people will get the health care they need,” said Wes Urevig, of Rochester . “The Star Tribune said that Dr. Davis’s years as a physician ‘apparently haven't inspired passion for fixing the nation's health care system or deep insights.’ I think that we can do better, so I’m supporting Tim Walz.”
Davis: We Need Fewer State Mandates. “We need to have fewer state mandates so we can have a more uniform market across the country.” [Fairmont Debate, 10/2/08]
Davis: State Mandates ‘Take Away Choice.’ “It would make a lot of sense if there was some uniformity in what are mandated things to cover and what aren’t in a particular health insurance policy. The more that a state does that, the more that they take away choice.” [Minnesota Debate, 10/13/08]
Davis: We Need Uniformity In State Mandates: “I think that how we’re going to reduce health insurance costs is that we [are going to] have some uniformity across state lines, so that you can buy insurance in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and have some uniformity of coverage.” [Minnesota Debate, 10/13/08]
Davis: Minnesota’s Health Insurance Mandates Drive Up Costs: “Because Minnesota has more requirements than any other state, Maryland is second, that does help drive up some of the cost of health insurance.” [KSTP debate, 10/12/08]
Minnesota’s Health Insurance Mandates Cover Treatment for Alcoholism, Diabetes and Cancer Screenings. Minnesota’s health insurance mandates cover a variety of treatments and services, including alcoholism, diabetes, bone marrow transplants, and cancer screenings [Council for Affordable Health Insurance, http://www.cahi.org/cahi_contents/resources/pdf/HealthInsuranceMandates2008.pdf; Minnesota State Statute, Chapter 62A, https://webrh12.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/statutes/?id=62A]
Davis Would Cut Health Care Costs By Allowing Insurance Companies To Not Cover Certain Illnesses. “Davis also said that he would work to reduce health care costs by introducing market competition in the insurance market and eliminating state regulations that mandate coverage for certain illnesses and conditions.” [Rochester Post-Bulletin, 9/15/2008]
Star Tribune: Davis Has No ‘Deep Insights’ Into Health Care. “His years as a physician apparently haven't inspired passion for fixing the nation's health care system or deep insights. His standard-issue proposals contrast unfavorably with the fiery expertise of his boss, Mayo CEO Dr. Denis Cortese, who campaigned nationally this year for systemic overhaul.” [Star Tribune editorial, 10/27/2008]
Photo: (Above) Seriously, Murray, one of 15 black cats available for adoption at the Winona Area Humane Society, isn't scary. In today's Winona Daily News, we read: ""They're not bad luck," says Deborah Stowe, Humane
Society vice president. "They need a home, too." " Please consider adopting a shelter kitteh, especially a black one, since superstition makes them hard to place. Photo from Winona Daily News.
Update: We have no idea what G.R. Anderson was smoking when he wrote his Minnpost article which posits this race as a model of civility. Sounds like neither he nor Hamline prof David Schlutz has ever seen a Davis television ad or press release or read any of the district dailies
Since Davis doesn't have any money to advertise in Twin Cities' media markets, it's quite likely neither has. Trust them: they're experts. Joel Kramer pays good money for this tripe? [end update]
After months of preparation — both in and out of the
classroom — Dakota Meadows and Mankato East hosted mock elections on
Thursday. Dakota Meadows’ election, coordinated through National
Student/Parent Mock Election, was decidedly in favor of Obama, who
garnered 347 votes to McCain’s 153. In the U.S. Senate race, Franken
won by just eight votes while Tim Walz, in the U.S. House race, won in
a landslide with 75 percent of the vote. Results from Mankato East’s
mock election, through the Youth Leadership Initiative, weren’t
announced until this morning.
Al Franken made a campaign stop in Mankato today.The senate candidate
was joined by Congressman Tim Walz and Senator Amy Klobuchar at
MSU.During ''For the Middle Class, For a Change'' rally, Franken said
he plans on helping Minnesotans and Americans reach for what he called
the ''promise of America,'' something he says has become a distant
reality over the last 8 years.Al Franken says, ''What I believe is that
what this election is about and what the next 4-8 years are gonna be
about is bridging that chasm and fulfilling once and for all the
promise of America.''The team started their campaign earlier in the day
with stops in Rochester, Owatonna, and Faribault.
He’s an opponent of abortion and gay marriage, is
doubtful that fossil fuel consumption is the primary reason for global
climate change and opposes embryonic stem cell research. He wants to
make the Bush tax cuts permanent, would like to eliminate the estate
tax and would be interested in studying a nationwide sales tax as a
replacement for income taxes.
Davis's pivot makes this statement in the MFP profile all the more ironic:
“Minnesota is a great place, and a lot of people look
at the candidates for who they are,” he said. “And they may not agree
with them on every issue, but they feel they can trust that person to
be straight with them
And we suspect that those in Southern Minnesota's renewable energy industry will raise their eyebrows at this, given the importance of the production tax credit:
He also said he’s opposed
on principle to the numerous tax credits available to individuals and
businesses, something he considers government micro-managing of the
economy.
And when it comes to PAYGO, in Brian Davis's world, evasive is the new straight shooting:
Davis also doesn’t say whether he would
support the pay-as-you-go budget rules — a strategy to reduce budget
deficits by requiring that any new spending increases or tax cuts be
offset with spending cuts or tax increases in other parts of the
budget: “That’s one strategy.”
The companion profile for Walz, Walz hasn't slowed down, was published in yesterday's Free Press
. . .In his first term in the
United States Congress, Minnesota’s First District Representative Tim
Walz has earned the support of two nonpartisan environmental groups,
the League of Conservative Voters and the Sierra Club. Both
organizations are endorsing Walz for a second term.
LCV President Gene Karpinski said,
“Congressman Walz has done a great job of reaching across the aisle and
working with other freshmen members of congress to promote bi-partisan
legislation that will make a real impact on the environment and the
economy. He has bright new ideas for his next term and will continue to
be a strong ally for clean energy in Congress. He has supported
groundbreaking initiatives that will end our addiction to oil, invest
in renewable energy sources and create jobs right here at home.”
I hope others will join me in voting for Walz so that he can continue this good work.
The
Republican Party’s endorsed candidate, oncologist and neophyte
politician Brian Davis, has not gained much traction against freshman
Walz. The incumbent has a serious financial lead in the district, which
runs the width of the southern part of the state.
The 2008 race stands in sharp contrast with that of 2006. CQPolitics and other political handicappers have moved their predictions steadily toward the incumbent as this year's Election Day draws near. Two years ago, the race was red hot, with media and third party groups drawn to the district as Gutknecht and Walz duked it out. This year? Barely on the radar.
In the netroots, Jeff Rosenberg revives his analysis From the archives: Walz’s secret to success in CD1. It's a solid piece, though we tend to shun labeling anything about successful campaigns as "secret." It's no secret that the Walz camapign is smart, strategic, well-funded and firmly planted in the grassroots.
Alex Knutsen has been hard at work for months working to re-elect Congressman Tim Walz
in the first district. He considered jobs in the corporate sector, but
is confident that his choice to work for a campaign following
graduation was the right decision. He says this job has taught him
that, "compensation for the effort you put in comes in many forms."
Between the long hours and grueling schedule, especially as
campaigns make their last push before voters hit the polls, Knutsen
finds many aspects of his work rewarding. "[The knowledge that] the
work I do directly contributes to the encouragement of ideas, to the
empowerment of others, and to the process of making laws work for
people, means more to me than the sort of rewards I saw myself earning
in any number of positions," Knutsen said. He says he receives
intangible rewards from his daily work all the time. "In this job," he
said, "those rewards greatly out-value anything money can buy."
Looks like Congressman Walz is helping to grow the bench of positive, progressive political talent in Southern Minnesota.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced Thursday that 399
Southern Minnesotans have not yet claimed their economic stimulus or
regular refund checks.
First District Congressman Tim Walz urged
taxpayers still waiting for IRS checks to update their addresses so the
IRS can send them out.
"If you haven't gotten your check yet, the
time to act is now - the IRS needs your updated address by Friday, Nov.
28," Walz stated in a press release.
Brown County residents who
have not yet claimed stimulus or refund checks include Sleepy Eye
residents Waldemar and Jean Harmening, James J. Hernandez and Garrett
M. Meyer; plus Springfield resident Cory B. Prescott.
Addresses can be updated with the "Where's My Refund?" tool at IRS.gov.
It enables taxpayers to check the status of their refunds.
Taxpayers must submit their Social Security number, filing status and amount of refund shown their 2007 return.
The tool will provide the status of their refund and in some cases, provide instructions on how to resolve delivery problems.
Taxpayers without internet access should call 1-866-234-2942.
In Minnesota, the average economic stimulus check was $560.
Taxpayers
who continue to have trouble receiving their checks or have other
outstanding issues with the IRS should contact Walz's Rochester office
at 507-206-0643.
Through September 2008, the government
distributed 116 million economic stimulus payments. About 279,000
checks remain undeliverable across the country.
The Waseca County News reports that convicted Enron exec Jeffrey Skilling has left the building and has been transferred to a correctional facility in Colorado. FCI Waseca is converting to an all-women's prison by the end of the year.
And in honor of those middle school kids, here's a Walz ad about "Lessons":
Photo: Congressman Walz visits his old classroom; photo credit New York Times.
