How diminished have Mike Parry's hopes become of winning the Republican primary in August?
In Who Do Minnesota Liberals Hate, 2012 Edition: The Voting Continues! on the conservative blog Shot In The Dark, Senator Parry didn't even make the list.
Allen Quist's name led the alphabetical list, but conservatives commenting at the site suggest that 2011 winner Michele Bachmann will again take first place in 2012.
The gentlewoman from Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District is the featured guest at two fundraising receptions on July 20 in Rochester, the Quist campaign announced:
Congresswoman Bachmann will be the feautured guest at Rochester fundraisers on Friday, July 20th, on behalf of Allen Quist, candidate for Congress in the 1st Congressional District.
The events will be hosted by Dr. Scott and Jann Wright at their home with a private reception at 6:30 pm followed by a 7:30 pm general reception.
Michele Bachmann’s appearance will highlight the looming political battles to balance the federal budget and to replace Obamacare with free market health care solutions. . . .
Private Reception, 6:30 to 7:30 pm, $250 for individual or couple.
Click here for ticket to the Private Reception.General Reception, 7:30 to 8:30 pm, $50 for individual or couple.
Click here for ticket to the General Reception.
Minnesota's third largest city, Rochester is home to the Mayo Clinic.
Bachmann grabbed attention town-hall style campaign event in Rochester for Quist in February 2010, when she smeared the Japanese health system with claims that those critical of policy in the Asian country were denied care.
During the same event, the editors of the Rochester Post Bulletin were so overwhelmed by her visit that they read her deference to Quist and Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, that they fancied her silence on medical tort reform to signal an abandonment of her support for the position.
Quist lost the Republican endorsement to Randy Demmer after eight ballots at the district convention in 2010 and led the balloting over Parry after epic 23-rounds of votes at the 2012 convention, which adjourned without an endorsement. Bachmann did not endorse in 2010; this year, she gave Quist the nod days before the endorsing convention.
Google News and Nexis don't yield news of any high-profile fundraisers coming up for Mike Parry; in fact, neither turns up much for Parry at all. Minnpost's Devin Henry, safely ensconced in the Beltway, did talk to Parry consultant Ben Golnik for his D.C. Dispatch, Minnesota campaigners say the economy — not health care — will be the big election issue, with the Parry campaign sounding like a Quist quopycat:
In the case of one of Golnik’s candidates — Mike Parry, in the 1st Congressional District — that means drawing attention to the incumbent’s support for the law. In both a press release and a fundraising pitch last week, Parry hit his potential fall opponent Rep. Tim Walz for calling the Affordable Care Act “the fiscally responsible thing to do.”
Bluestem looks forward to reading Q2 FEC reports from all three candidates. One intriguing rumor? Quist reportedly told Republicans at a meeting that all contributions would be matched by an anonymous donor. Federal campaign finance laws being what they are--with limits on the amount individuals other than the candidate himself can contribute/loan to campaign committees, Bluestem suspects that Quist himself is the mystery contributor if the rumor is indeed true.
At the endorsing convention, Quist had said he would put up to a million of his own dollars into the race; Southern Minnesotans may just find out how sincere the earnest Norseland farmer and retired college professor is with that promise later this month.
Cartoon: Allen Quist by Ken Avidor.
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