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8th District: Rod Grams


SNAPSHOT
Grams floated a trial balloon about a run for Senate that went nowhere and he decided not to pursue the seat he once held, thus avoiding an intra-party squabble with Rep. Mark Kennedy. In May 2006, however, he announced he would seek the 8th Congressional District seat held by Rep. James Oberstar. . After first being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, Rod Grams gained the distinction of being the first freshman in the 103rd Congress to get legislation enacted into law: a bill to provide regulatory relief for loans for those devastated by the 1993 Midwest flood. He also pushed a $500 per child tax credit. But much of his focus during his Senate term was revamping Social Security, an issue that really didn't come into its own in Congress until President Bush proposed in 2005 what Grams was proposing in the late '90s. Grams says he was motivated to run for Senate because of the issues that have surfaced in Congress now are the issues he was trying to spearhead then.

Candidate Bio

Rod Grams
Political affiliation:
Republican Party
Born:
February 4, 1948
Princeton, MN
Personal:
Married, four children from previous marriage. Resides in Crown. Lutheran.
Occupation:
Owns three radio stations in Little Falls. Homebuilder. Was anchorman for KMSP-TV in the Twin Cities.
Education:
Carroll College, Helena, MT
Major political experience:
Grams ran and won a U.S. House seat in the 6th Congressional District. He defeated 10-year incumbent Democratic Rep. Gerry Sikorski in 1992. He was elected to the U.S. Senate, replacing the retiring Dave Durenberger in 1996.

Campaign Finances

Total contributions
$335,143
Total disbursements
$241,489
Cash on hand
$93,654
Source: Federal Election Commission. October 2006

Links and Resources

Open Secrets
Document Rod Grams

Candidate Pages

The Minnesota Senate has beaten back an attempt to force a vote on a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages. The failed tactic came as thousands of gays, lesbians, and their supporters rallied on the Capitol grounds in opposition to the gay marriage ban. (04/07/2005)
DFLers Patty Wetterling and Amy Klobuchar are moving forward with their prospective Senate campaigns, with Wetterling sending out a fund-raising letter and Klobuchar setting up a campaign Web site. (03/18/2005)
U.S. Rep. Gil Gutknecht said Friday he would run for re-election to the House, ending the possibility of a primary fight between two Republican congressmen for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Mark Dayton. (03/04/2005)
Phil Krinkie, a GOP state representative with a penny-pinching reputation, on Friday joined a swelling field for Minnesota's 6th District congressional seat. (02/25/2005)
Child safety advocate Patty Wetterling, who ran for Congress last year, is shifting her 2006 campaign focus to a possible Senate bid. (02/25/2005)
The 2006 election is more than 20 months off, but Monday at the Capitol it seemed like the campaign has already started. Two Republican lawmakers declared themselves candidates for the 6th District Congressional seat, the latest in a chain reaction set off last week when U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton announced he won't seek a second term. (02/14/2005)
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