Capitol View Category Archive: Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD4

DFL candidates rip Republicans on Medicare

Posted at 1:02 PM on October 23, 2012 by Tom Scheck (4 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: U.S. House, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD2, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD3, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD4, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD5

From MPR's Mark Zdechlik...

Four Democrats running for Congress in Minnesota say Republicans are promoting proposals that would turn Medicare a voucher system.

DFL Representatives Betty McCollum and Keith Ellison say if Republicans are successful at repealing the Affordable Care Act, seniors would lose hundreds of millions of dollars in preventative care and prescription drug benefits.

McCollum says misleading campaign ads from outside groups are clouding the debate. Even so, she says she thinks seniors understand what GOP proposals would do to Medicare and Affordable Care Act benefits.

"Republicans for Congress are resorting to these false attacks because they don't want to be honest with seniors about what their plan really does for seniors and their families," McCollum said. "But we are not going to let them mislead the public and we are not going to let them run away from the facts."]]

Minnesota GOP Party Chairman Pat Shortridge says Democrats are trying to "scare" seniors. Shortridge say the GOP Medicare plan is the only plan that would ensure the program long-term solvency.

Big week for congressional debates

Posted at 3:08 PM on October 14, 2012 by Tom Scheck
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: U.S. House, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD3, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD4, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD7, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD8

This is a big week for Minnesota's congressional candidates. There will be debates in several congressional districts, including Minnesota's 8th District contest between GOP Rep. Chip Cravaack and Democrat Rick Nolan.

The League of Women Voters will host a 4th Congressional District debate featuring DFL Rep. Betty McCollum, Republican Tony Hernandez and Independence Party candidate Steve Carlson. The event will be held at 7 o'clock on Monday night at North High School in North St. Paul. The event is free and open to the public.

Cravaack and Nolan will meet in a Debate Minnesota forum on Tuesday at noon. The event will be held at Anoka Ramsey Community College and is open to the public. Both candidates also debated the issues on KSTP's At Issue on Friday.

Prairie Public TV in North Dakota will host a debate between DFL Rep. Collin Peterson and Republican Lee Byberg on Tuesday. The debate will air on Tuesday night at 8pm.

On Thursday, GOP Rep. Erik Paulsen and Democrat Brian Barnes will meet in a debate hosted by the Edina and Eden Prairie Chambers of Commerce. The chambers are requiring chamber members to pay $25 to attend. Those who aren't members of the Chamber have to pay $35 to attend.

MPR's The Daily Circuit will also be hosting several debates over the next month. You can see the list of those debates here.

MPR News to host congressional debates

Posted at 3:23 PM on October 8, 2012 by Tom Scheck (3 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: U.S. House, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD2, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD3, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD4, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD5, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD6, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD8, Campaign 2012: U.S. Senate

So far this campaign season MPR News has aired debates in the 1st, 4th and 5th Congressional Districts.

Now MPR's The Daily Circuit will host debates in the 2nd, 3rd and 6th Congressional Districts.

In Minnesota's 2nd District, GOP Rep. John Kline and Democrat Mike Obermueller will square off in studio on Monday, Oct. 29.

In Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District, GOP Rep. Erik Paulsen will face Democrat Brian Barnes in studio on Tuesday, Oct. 30.

In Minnesota's 6th Congressional District, GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann and Democrat Jim Graves will debate the issues on Thursday, Nov. 1.

All the debates will be from 11 a.m. to noon.

MPR is also hosting a debate between DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Republican Kurt Bills on Sunday, Nov. 4 at the Fizgerald Theater in St. Paul at 7 p.m.

Also this week MPR News will air tomorrow's 8th District debate in Duluth between GOP Rep. Chip Cravaack and DFLer Rick Nolan at noon. That's tape-delayed by a couple hours. And Wednesday at noon we will air another 1st District debate recorded Tuesday night in Mankato (and moderated by some guy named Gary Eichten).

And at noon on Oct. 16 MPR News will air an 8th District debate live from Cambridge.

Click here if you're interested in listening to the debate in Minnesota's 1st Congressional District between DFL Rep. Tim Walz and Republican Allen Quist.

Click here if you want to listen to the 5th Congressional District debate between DFL Rep. Keith Ellison and Republican Chris Fields.

Click here if you want to listen to 4th District candidates DFL Rep. Betty McCollum, Republican Tony Hernandez and Independence Party candidate Steve Carlson debate the issues.

Ahead of primary, campaign finance reports roll in

Posted at 11:06 AM on August 3, 2012 by Brett Neely
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: U.S. House, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD2, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD3, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD4, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD5, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD6, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD7, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD8, Campaign 2012: U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON - Although candidates for federal office were required to file campaign finance reports with the Federal Election Commission just a few weeks ago to cover their 2nd quarter fundraising, they're filing more paperwork now ahead of next month's primary elections. This reporting period covers just the 25 days between the close of the old period on June 30 and July 25.

Here's where things stand:

U.S. Senate

- Incumbent U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar brought in $131,996 in July, bringing her total fundraising to date to just a shade under $8 million. The Democrat's campaign spent about $215,000 in the same period, eating slightly into her cash but leaving Klobuchar with a still-large war chest of nearly $5.4 million. About $90,000 of Klobuchar's donations came from donors who have more than $200 and from political action committees.

While the FEC deadline for posting campaign finance reports was midnight on Aug. 2, as of noon on Aug. 3, Klobuchar's likely Republican rival state Rep. Kurt Bills had not posted his fundraising figures. In an email, a campaign spokesman said he was looking into the matter.

CD 1 - Rep. Tim Walz, the DFL incumbent in this district, continues to outraise his two GOP opponents. Walz brought in $27,845 compared to $18,800 by Allan Quist and $8,890 by state Sen. Mike Parry. Walz kept his campaign spending to a modest $28,611 in July and his war chest has more $807,000 compared to nearly $118,000 for Quist and nearly $28,000 for Parry. Almost all of Walz's contributions came from donors who gave more than $200 and political action committees.

CD 2 - Incumbent Republican Rep. John Kline brought in $109,780, bringing his total raised this cycle to just over $1.8 million. Of those contributions, more than $96,000 came from donors giving more than $200 and political action committees. Kline's campaign spent more than $91,000 in the 25 days recorded in July and has more than $1.3 million in the bank for the contest this fall.

His DFL challenger, Mike Obermueller, raised $54,505 in July and has thus far brought in $275,000 since entering the race. Obermueller has $227,283 cash on hand and his campaign's operating expenses hit $41,391 during the reporting period. The Obermueller campaign has also taken on $32,500 worth of debt so far. More than $45,000 of Obermueller's contributions campaign from donors giving more than $200 and PACs.

CD 3 - Erik Paulsen, the Republican who represents western suburbs of Minneapolis, is the delegation's biggest fundraiser not named Bachmann. But Paulsen's campaign raised $54,309 in July, a relatively small total for him, bringing his total fundraising this term to more than $2.2 million. Paulsen's campaign spent a little more than $51,000 and his cash on hand is nearly $1.6 million. Almost $43,000 of Paulsen's fundraising came from large donors and PACs.

Paulsen's DFL challenger, Brian Barnes, raised $26,735, bringing his total to date to $217,000. Barnes' campaign spent more than $33,000 in July and has about $50,000 in the bank.

CD 4 - Incumbent DFLer Betty McCollum raised the least of any sitting member from Minnesota, bringing in $12,270 in July for a total to date of $658,123. Still, that's more than double what Republican-endorsed challenger Anthony Hernandez brought in, $5,700. McCollum has $170,199 cash in the bank, compared to $5,370 for Hernandez. McCollum's campaign spent more than $48,000 in July while Hernandez spent $2,506.

CD 5 - Rep. Keith Ellison, the DFL incumbent representing Minneapolis and the inner suburbs, brought in $103,890 in July and has raised more than $1.4 million since January 2011. However, Ellison's campaign spent even more, $111,370, during July, and Ellison ended the reporting period with $126,481 in the bank and no debt. Nearly $69,000 of Ellison's current fundraising came from large donors and PACs.

Republican challenger Chris Fields raised $31,126 bringing his fundraising to date to $113,886. Fields' campaign spent $13,299 and sits on $51,609 in the bank. Large donors contributed $10,600 to his campaign and no PACs gave him money.

CD 6 - Expect to see huge sums spent on this race. Incumbent Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann has a huge fundraising and cash advantage over DFL challenger Jim Graves. Two thirds of her contributions came from small donors who gave less than $200. She raised nearly $1.1 million in 25 days compared to Graves' $64,482. Bachmann also spent big, dropping nearly $700,000 in the same period compared to the $116,000 spent by Graves. Bachmann has more than $2 million in the bank while Graves has about $350,000 on hand but also has $250,000 in debt due to loans he's made his campaign.

CD 7 - Veteran DFL Rep. Collin Peterson pulled in $67,438 in July and has now raised more than $821,000 since his term started in January 2011. His campaign spent almost as much as he raised in July -- $68,057 -- and ends the period with almost exactly $800,000 in the bank. More than $57,000 of Peterson's donations came from large donors and PACs.

Lee Byberg, the Republican who hopes to replace Peterson, raised $25,677. But his campaign's $50,320 worth of spending far outstripped his fundraising and Byberg ends the period with $91,920 in the bank.

CD 8 - This is likely to be Minnesota's most contested race in the fall with Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack defending his seat for the first time after a long DFL lock on the district. Cravaack brought in $59,005 in July, bringing his total fundraising to a hair under $1.5 million. His campaign spent $39,000 and has $916,000 on hand. About $37,000 of Cravaack's fundraising came from large donors and PACs.

Former state Sen. Tarryl Clark, one of three DFLers running in a primary for the chance to compete against Cravaack, was the strongest fundraiser in the district in July. Her campaign raised $65,509 and has raised more than $1.1 million overall. But ahead of the primary, Clark's campaign is spending heavily -- $225,821 -- and she has a little less than $99,000 on hand. Thanks to Democratic grassroots funding networks, Clark raised about two thirds of her fundraising in July from small donors.

Former U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan, who received the DFL endorsement in the 8th District, brought in $27,618 and has raised $357,655 since entering the race. Nolan's campaign spent about $33,000 in July and has a little less than $88,000 on hand. Most of Nolan's funds came from large donors.

Former Duluth City Council President Jeff Anderson lags the other two DFL challengers, bringing in $8,031 in July for a total so far of $172,359. His campaign spent more than twice as much -- $19,285 -- in the same period, and Anderson has just $7,238 in the bank.

Paulsen raises $454K, McCollum $90K

Posted at 8:47 AM on July 15, 2012 by Brett Neely
Filed under: Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD3, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD4, U.S. House

WASHINGTON - A few more campaign finance filings have trickled in. In the 3rd District, incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen brought in $454,647 in the three months ending on June 30th. That brings his total fundraising this cycle to nearly $2.2 million, the most of any congressional candidate in Minnesota except Michele Bachmann, who's in a different fundraising league of her own.

Paulsen's campaign has $1,586,604 cash on hand, nearly $300,000 more than last quarter. The second term Congressman has been a very prolific fundraiser, especially since getting a seat on the powerful tax-writing Ways and Means Committee in 2011. Paulsen's DFL opponent, Brian Barnes, has not yet filed his fundraising paperwork with the Federal Election Commission. The deadline to file is midnight Eastern Time Sunday.

In the 4th District, veteran DFL U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum raised $90,401, on par with her past fundraising totals. She has $206,474 in the bank for her re-election. McCollum's Republican challenger, Anthony Hernandez also filed his fundraising report with the FEC. Hernandez brought in $16,680 and has $5,026 cash on hand as of June 30th.

Graves the wealthiest candidate on the Congressional ballot

Posted at 6:15 PM on June 25, 2012 by Brett Neely (3 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: U.S. House, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD3, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD4, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD5, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD6, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD8

WASHINGTON - It's not just members of Congress who are required to file public disclosures of their personal finances. Those who want to replace them in Washington also have to file. MPR News took a visit to the basement of the Cannon House Office building where those forms are available to the public to get a peek.

Some candidates filed these forms last year while others filed them within the past weeks. The forms ask for candidates' year to date and last year's earnings. In this post, I have used full year figures unless otherwise noted, so as to give readers a better sense of a candidate's financial status. Candidates are required to list assets in broad categories, making a precise calculation of net worth difficult. They are not required to list the value of their personal residence but are required to disclose any debts, including mortgages, exceeding $10,000.

Here's the rundown of candidates who have filed forms by congressional district:

CD3 - Brian Barnes is the DFL candidate running against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen. Barnes works for Cummins in Minneapolis and reports making $111,000 in salary and bonuses. He lists assets worth as much as $145,000 invested in 401(k) and individual retirement accounts and has no reported debts.

CD4 - Republican Anthony Hernandez is challenging DFL incumbent Betty McCollum in the St. Paul-based 4th District. He lists his full year salary from MRL Company at $17,000, has no reported assets and lists debts in the range of $115,000 to $300,000 which include a mortgage and a student loans.

CD5 - Chris Fields is the Republican challenging DFL U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison. Fields and his spouse earned $171,000 from a law firm they run together. Their assets could be worth as much as $1 million or as little as $466,000. They also earn between $5,000 and $15,000 from a rental property.

CD6 - Hotel owner and 6th District DFL challenger Jim Graves is the wealthiest candidate or incumbent running for federal office in Minnesota this cycle and his wealth would likely be enough to put him among the top 10 wealthiest members of Congress were he to defeat Republican U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann.

His net worth is between $22 and $111 million and Graves's campaign says the actual number lies somewhere in the middle. Graves's assets include a number of partnerships and companies he owns, mostly concentrated in the hotel and real estate businesses. Graves reports debts worth as much as $36 million, all mortgages on properties related to his businesses.

Bachmann has attempted to use Graves's wealth as a political issue against him. In fundraising appeals to supporters, Bachmann has called Graves a "self-funding multi-millionaire." So far, Graves has lent his campaign $100,000 and says he expects donations to make up the bulk of the campaign's funds.

CD8 - The Democrats, Jeff Anderson, Tarryl Clark and Rick Nolan are competing in a primary to run against first-term Republican Chip Cravaack. Anderson, a former Duluth City Member and an ad salesman for REO River Broadcasting, reported assets between negative $46,000 and positive $45,000. In 2010 he earned $85,000 from his sales job and an additional $10,000 from the city of Duluth. His assets are invested in mutual funds, and he has a car loan that is between $15,000 and $50,000.

Clark, a former state senator, could have a net worth as low as negative $66,000 or as much as $265,000. Clark's assets are invested in a variety of mutual funds while her debts include credit cards and student loans belonging to herself and her children.

Rick Nolan served in the U.S. House between 1975 and 1981 before going on to a business career in Minnesota. He receives a $24,000 a year pension from the state of Minnesota and earned $27,000 in real estate commissions from Sotheby's brokerage. His assets, which include a stake in the firm Emily Forest Products and a condo in Florida, are worth between $717,000 and $1.5 million. Nolan reports no debts.

McCollum raises $123,000 in first quarter

Posted at 4:48 PM on April 12, 2012 by Brett Neely
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: U.S. House, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD4, U.S. House

WASHINGTON - DFL U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum raised more than $123,000 toward her re-election campaign in the first three months of 2012. The veteran St. Paul lawmaker has more than $222,000 in the bank, her campaign said Thursday.

McCollum has raised less than other members of the Minnesota congressional delegation who have announced their figures so far.

GOP candidate Dan Flood dropped out of the race for the Republican endorsement last month, and McCollum's only rival is Republican Anthony Hernandez, who has not yet filed his fundraising paperwork. Hernandez had been competing for the GOP endorsement for the U.S. Senate race but left that contest in favor of taking on McCollum last month.