Polinaut: August 24, 2006 Archive

Will the 6th be the "most bitter House race ever fought between two women"?

Posted at 6:27 AM on August 24, 2006 by Tom Scheck

Larry Sabato, with the Center for Responsive Politics at the University of Virginia, is out with his latest “ferocious forty” House races. Minnesota’s Sixth Congressional District is included (that’s the race between Republican Michele Bachmann and DFLer Patty Wetterling). Sabato says the race is a toss-up in his latest analysis:

“When all is said and done, this race could well go down in history as the most bitter House race ever fought between two women. Bachmann is a polarizing social conservative figure, and her party chides Wetterling as unprepared to hold federal office. Sure, the district is Republican, but Wetterling's name identification advantage from the last cycle and the strong Democratic tide give her an even shot to score Democrats a pickup.”

On the news docket

Posted at 6:39 AM on August 24, 2006 by Mike Mulcahy

Lots of stuff happening today.

As Mr. Scheck noted the DFL candidates for Congress in the 5th District debate at the MPR booth at the state fair at noon. Hear it live on Midday.

There's a hearing in Ramsey County court on Mike Hatch's motion to remove Judge William Leary from a lawsuit against two collection agencies. A phone call Hatch made to the judge is the subject of an ethics complaint filed yesterday by state Republicans against Hatch.

The developer of the proposed "Bridges of St. Paul" project across the river from downtown is expected to deliver a formal proposal to the city.

It should be a good news day.

The Daily Digest: 8-24-06

Posted at 9:54 AM on August 24, 2006 by Tom Scheck (2 Comments)

The race for governor leads the digest today. Senator Becky Lourey, who is challenging Mike Hatch in the DFL Primary, says her tax plan is for the common good. The Pi Press has a story on it.

The GOP has filed an ethics complaint against Mike Hatch regarding his interaction with a Ramsey County Judge. The AP and the Star Tribune have stories.

Edward Lotterman, with the Pi Press, writes that Pawlenty and other politicians try to take too much credit when the economy is doing well. Pawlenty has said that he gets the blame when the economy isn't doing well so he should get some credit when it's humming along. Side note: Lotterman may be wrong when he says Congressman Peterson is running ads on the Medicare Prescription Drug benefit. I think the U.S. Chamber ran those ads.

The Star Tribune's Katherine Kersten has a column saying Pawlenty sounds like Mike Hatch when it comes to business:

But the "end of small government" quote aside, Pawlenty is now tossing around lingo we routinely hear from Mike Hatch, his gubernatorial opponent, who has made a career of finding villains in corporate boardrooms.

Pawlenty has even adopted Hatch's signature righteous indignation. "Certain things just get me mad," the governor said in Saturday's article. Bloated government? No, oil companies and drug companies -- familiar whipping boys of the left.

Is Pawlenty trying to out-Hatch Hatch in this election year?

That column may help Pawlenty among mainstream voters. The Wall Street Journal says (subscription required) some businesses have soured on Republicans because of the tough stance on immigration:

Ever since Republicans took over the House in 1994, they rarely have split with business, whether on taxes, regulation, labor or the environment. In turn, businesses have given Republicans steady support. Groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce consistently have awarded perfect or near-perfect scores to Republican lawmakers who vote the way they want on crucial issues -- rankings that usually translate into campaign contributions.

This year, the immigration debate is straining that bond. In an election with control of Congress at stake, the spat could cost Republicans support in key districts. Business groups' rankings have fallen for Republicans who support beefed-up border security but reject expanding legal immigration.

The Rochester Post Bulletin has a story saying a judge believes the re-elect Carla Nelson signs may be illegal. Nelson was a state representative but lost in 2004.

MPR has a story on three of the other DFL candidates running in the 5th. We'll post the entire audio interviews with them later. Tune into MPR at noon to listen to the debate or stop by the MPR booth at the Fair to see it in person. Remember that umbrella and rain gear!

The Star Tribune examines where the 6th District candidates stand on health care.

Finally, MPR's Tom Robertson has a story on the dispute over who should be allowed to fish and manage part of Red Lake. It's interesting that the Pawlenty Administration nor Congressman Peterson didn't return calls for the report. I wonder where the two candidates stand on the issue?

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Klobuchar and Kennedy to debate on October 15th.

Posted at 10:15 AM on August 24, 2006 by Tom Scheck

MSNBC's First Read says NBC's Tim Russert will moderate the debate between the two U.S. Senate candidates:

And First Read is pleased to announce NBC's Meet the Press 2006 Senate debate series, the show's latest round of in-studio debates building off its previous award-winning debates in 2002 and 2004. The series, moderated by Tim Russert, will kick off with a September 3 face-off between Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum (R) and Bob Casey (D), who are competing in the hottest Senate race in the country. Following that will be Virginia Sen. George Allen (R) vs. Jim Webb (D) on September 13; Ohio Sen. Mike DeWine (R) vs. Sherrod Brown (D) on October 1; Missouri Sen. Jim Talent (R) vs. Claire McCaskill (D) on October 8; Minnesota candidates Amy Klobuchar (D) and Mark Kennedy (R) on October 15; and the Maryland Senate nominees (still TBD) on October 29.

Klobuchar at the fair on Thursday

Posted at 2:07 PM on August 24, 2006 by Tom Scheck

We incorrectly reported that Amy Klobuchar, the DFL endorsed candidate for U.S. Senate, would be at the DFL booth at 6 pm tonight. She'll be at her fair booth from 4:00 to 5:00 and at the DFL booth from 5:00 to 5:30. Sorry about the error.

Comings and goings in Minnesota's Fifth

Posted at 5:09 PM on August 24, 2006 by Tom Scheck

MPR has a story on the debate at the MN State Fair today. You can listen to the entire debate here. The debate featured four of the DFL candidates running to replace Congressman Martin Sabo. They are Keith Ellison, Ember Reichgott Junge, Mike Erlandson and Paul Ostrow.

Erlandson and Reichgott Junge also went up with television ads today. Erlandson's ad features his work as chief of staff to Congressman Sabo.

Reichgott Junge's ad focuses on health care.

MPR also has a profile of Keith Ellison and a profile of the three other candidates.

Take a listen to the side interviews on each of the profile pages if you want specifics on where Reichgott Junge, Erlandson, Ostrow and Ellison stand on the issues.