There's been a flurry of pump priming for Randy Demmer's sleepwalking congressional campaign in the First, with the Hayfield Republican promoted to be one of 75 "Young Guns" by the NRCC today. This move follows an announcement that John Boehner would place Demmer on the Ag committee if he is elected--along with enough other GOP challengers to make Boehner Speaker of the House.
As the New York Times page about the race points out, the FiveThirtyEight model gives Walz a 96 percent chance of retaining the seat.
We'll be watching to see how much support the NRCC actually extends to Demmer, whose campaign is behind that of Brian Davis at this time. While the press reported on Demmer first radio ads beginning this week, the generic ads are a late step for a challenger.
In fact, Brian Davis, the 2008 Republican challenger, had his first television ad running on August 25. An email the Davis campaign sent out explained:
On Monday, August 25, Brian Davis for Congress began a television ad campaign.
SEE OUR AD HERE! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHWxRUxZ_Hw
. . . The ad costs between $6 and $45 per spot and is running across the entire 1st District, at least a half dozen times per day.
The NRCC announcement underscores Demmer's status as a DC candidate. Indeed, the very headline for the Strib's report spells out how Demmer is a DC-driven candidate: National Republicans elevate Demmer bid.
This fact is underscored by yesterday's news. While the Republican beltway support for Demmer was the sole news about the Hayfield Republican, KEYC-TV reported that Veterans Speak Out on Walz's behalf in Mankato and New Ulm, and The Wounded Warrior Project noted that Walz's Traumatic Brain Injury Bill Offers Warriors New Hope.
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