Capitol View Category Archive: Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1

Kline raises $286K, Walz brings in $320K

Posted at 3:20 PM on October 12, 2012 by Brett Neely
Filed under: Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD2, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD7, U.S. House

CORRECTION

WASHINGTON - With less than a month to go before Election Day, congressional campaigns are beginning to release one of the last snapshots of their fundraising before voters head to the polls.

In the 2nd District, Republican U.S. Rep. John Kline raised $286,000* between late July and the end of September and sits on a $1.4 million war chest, according to Kline spokesman Troy Young.

Since Kline's bank account contained nearly the same amount in late July, it's likely Kline's campaign is spending heavily and possibly transferring funds to other candidates or to the state and national Republican parties. A full accounting won't be available until Kline's campaign submits its documentation to the Federal Election Committee before a Monday deadline.

Mike Obermueller, Kline's DFL opponent, has not yet released his campaign's fundraising.

In the 1st District, DFL U.S. Rep. Tim Walz's campaign brought in more than $320,000 from the beginning of July through the end of September. That's in the range of Walz's past fundraising totals and he has just shy of $790,000 in the bank for the general election. Republican Allen Quist, who's challenging Walz, has not yet released his fundraising.

In the 7th District, Republican challenger Lee Byberg's campaign has raised more than $86,000 according to a filing on the Federal Election Commission website. Byberg has $74,000 for his attempt to unseat long-serving DFL U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson. Peterson has not yet reported his fundraising.

* CORRECTION - An earlier version of this post said Kline raised $2.1 million in the third quarter. Kline raised $286,000 and has raised $2.1 million since the beginning of this election cycle in January 2011.

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.

Walz picks up NRA endorsement over Quist

Posted at 2:45 PM on October 2, 2012 by Brett Neely
Filed under: Campaign 2012: U.S. House, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1, U.S. House

WASHINGTON - The National Rifle Association endorsed DFL Congressman Tim Walz's bid for a fourth term on Tuesday, snubbing Walz's Republican contender, Allen Quist.

The organization gave Walz an "A" rating for his "proved record of defending the Second Amendment."

"I grew up hunting and spent 24 years in the Army National Guard. I know how important Second Amendment rights are to the people of southern Minnesota. I'm proud to stand with the NRA members across southern Minnesota to protect our Second Amendment rights, and I'm truly grateful for their endorsement," said Walz in a statement released by his campaign.

Despite not receiving the NRA's nod, Quist also earned an "A" rating from the group.

The Quist campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the endorsement.

"Allen Quist has been endorsed by the NRA in the past and has always had an A+ NRA rating. The policy of the NRA is to endorse the incumbent if that person is anywhere near their position. So this Walz endorsement was expected," said campaign manager Julie Quist, in a written statement.

The gun rights group has also endorsed Republican U.S. Reps. Michele Bachmann, Chip Cravaack and John Kline and DFL U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson.

In June, Walz and Peterson bucked House Democrats and supported a Republican and NRA-backed measure to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for his actions related to an investigation into botched gun smuggling operation. In its endorsement, the NRA cited the vote as part of Walz's record.

DCCC trims MN ad budget in 1st District

Posted at 6:46 PM on October 1, 2012 by Catharine Richert
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1

Apparently concluding that DFL Rep. Tim Walz looks like a safe bet to win re-election in the 1st Congressional District, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is trimming its nearly $3 million Minnesota ad budget by about $260,000, according to a DCCC spokesperson.

The cash was originally meant for two ads to be run in Walz's favor later this month.

Walz is on the DCCC's "Frontline" list, a select group of incumbent U.S. House Democrats who are likely to face competitive races. Less than six weeks out from Election Day, the DCCC feels confident Walz will win in the 1st.

Though DCCC won't be running ads for Walz, the group will continue to work with his campaign, the DCCC spokesperson said.

And the DCCC still plans to spend substantially on other Minnesota races, including $700,000 during the week it initially planned to run the Walz ads. Already, the DCCC has invested heavily in ads targeting Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack, who is running a competitive race against DFL challenger Rick Nolan in the 8th Congressional District.

PoliGraph: Quist budget claim overstates debt impact

Posted at 2:00 PM on August 17, 2012 by Catharine Richert
Filed under: Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1, PoliGraph

Earlier this week, Allen Quist won the Republican primary to challenge DFL Rep. Tim Walz in this year's general election.

In an interview with MPR News, Quist said that tackling the federal deficit would be his top priority as a member of Congress. To underscore just how bad things have become, Quist pointed out that more and more taxpayer dollars are going to pay interest on federal debt.

"This year 20 cents out of every dollar the government is collecting is going for interest. If that trend continues, that's going to 25 cents out of every dollar, in four years 30 cents out of every dollar," Quist said. "We can't do this. We don't have any options. We absolutely have to get our finances under control."

Quist's accounting overstates the problem.

The Evidence

Here's how Quist is coming up with his numbers.

In fiscal year 2011, the federal government brought in about $2.228 trillion according to the Congressional Budget Office. The same year, the federal government paid about $454 billion in interest on all its outstanding debt, according to the Treasury Department.

By that measure, Quist is correct. While the Treasury Department doesn't project the interest it will owe on all its outstanding debt into the future, to support the rest of his claim, Quist assumed a 3.1 percent interest rate in fiscal year 2014 and a 4.5 percent interest rate in fiscal year 2016.

But when economists are talking about interest on the nation's debt, they don't include interest on all of the government's outstanding debt, which includes various trust funds, explained J.D. Foster, an economist with the conservative Heritage Foundation.

"It is interest the federal government pays to itself. It's an accounting exchange," Foster said. "It's as though you had two different accounts and one account lent money to the other and you recorded the interest paid by the account that borrowed the money as part of your total interest expense for the year. It wouldn't make much sense."

"The correct number to look at is interest on the publically held debt," because it's debt that the government has sold to the public, Foster said.

That changes Quist's claim dramatically.

For fiscal year 2011, roughly 10 cents of every tax dollar went to paying interest on publicly held debt. In fiscal year 2014, it would come to about 9 cents of every dollar, and in fiscal year 2016, it would be upwards of 13 cents of every dollar, according to the White House's latest fiscal projections. Those numbers would change if the government decides to let the Bush-era tax cuts expire.

The Verdict

Quist uses legitimate numbers to come up with his claim. And it's true the federal government's debt continues to grow, and requires higher interest payments as a result.
But Quist overstates the problem by using an interest figure that economists tend not to account for because it mixes interest the government owes itself and interest it owes on publicly held debt.

As a result, Quist's claim misleads.

SOURCES

MPR News, The Daily Circuit, Minn. 1st and 8th Congressional District candidates on primary win, Aug. 15, 2012

The Treasury Department, Interest Expense on the Debt Outstanding, accessed Aug. 16, 2012

The Treasury Department, Frequently Asked Questions about the Public Debt, accessed Aug. 16, 2012

The Congressional Budget Office, Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2011 to 2021, January 26, 2011

The White House Office of Management and Budget, FY 2013 Mid-Session Review, Table S-4, July 27, 2012

The Concord Coalition, Projected Interest Costs on Debt Held By the Public, accessed Aug. 16, 2012

The Heritage Foundation, Interest on the Debt Exceeds Spending for Many Programs, accessed Aug. 16, 2012

Interview, Allen Quist, Aug. 16, 2012

Interview, J.D. Foster, economist, The Heritage Foundation, Aug. 16, 2012

Interview, Josh Gordon, policy director, the Concord Coalition, Aug. 16, 2012

Quist to challenge Walz for MN CD 1 seat

Posted at 10:52 PM on August 14, 2012 by Catharine Richert
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: U.S. House, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1

Allen Quist will represent the Republican party this fall in his bid to unseat 1st Congressional District DFL Rep. Tim Walz.

Quist had been running against GOP state Sen. Mike Parry, who conceded to Quist late Thursday night in a phone call.

Parry said he would support Quist in his race against Walz.

"I told [Allen Quist], as I'm going to tell you right now, this is all about Tim Walz," Parry said. "This is about a Congressman who has failed to represent the first district. This is about a congressman that has joined lockstep with the Obama administration and actively does not support production agriculture."

Parry said he believes Quist is an electable Republican, despite the negative tone the primary race took in the last few weeks.

"Based on what I see tonight, things are changing in the first congressional district. [Quist] is well-versed, he gets it, That's why I'm excited to join his team, to move forward with a common cause and that's to defeat Tim Walz."

At 10:30 p.m., the Secretary of State's office reported that nearly 70 percent of the southern Minnesota district had reported; Parry had 45 percent of the vote while Quist had 54 percent of the vote.

In Mankato, Quist told the crowd that he welcomes Parry to his team.

"We'll work together from now on," Quist said.

Quist told supporters that there's a lot of work ahead, but he's confident that a conservative Repoublican can win the congressional seat.

"Our focus in going to be the number one problem facing our country, and that is the debt crisism" Quist said. "We absolutely have to change direction. We don't have a choice."

Quist contributed much of his own cash to his campaign, and Parry was not able to match Quist's fundraising.

In recent weeks, the Parry-Quist race became more interesting after Parry brought up comments Quist made years ago about social issues, including the roles of men and women in the home.

Last week, Parry got more attention when he called Gov. Mark Dayton "scary" and said that he saw Dayton "pop 15 to 16 pills" during a meeting.

Republican Party of Minnesota Chair Pat Shortridge used Quist's victory to make the party's case against Walz.

"Voters in southern Minnesota deserve representation in Washington that will fight to get spending and regulation under control," Shortridge said in a statement. "Despite election-year conversions, Tim Walz has been a blank check for the Obama administration on key issues like cap and trade, Obamacare, and the failed stimulus. The Walz legacy for future generations will be one of more debt and regulation, and one of less opportunity and growth."

MPR's Elizabeth Baier and Tim Pugmire contributed to this report.

Video: 1st Congressional District GOP results analysis

Posted at 9:15 PM on August 14, 2012 by Michael Olson (3 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: Minn. House Races, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1

Update: Quist wins.

Allen Quist "is going to have to work hard in presenting himself as an electable Republican. Because that's not something has has a record of doing. He hasn't won an election since the mid-80s and that is a long time" -- Conservative blogger and GOP activist Michael Brodkorp on the challenge ahead for Allen Quist as he faces Incumbent Rep. Tim Walz in November.

Live at 9:00pm: A discussion of the results from the 1st Congressional District GOP contest.

MPR News editor Michael Olson hosts a video chat focusing on the early results from the 1st Congressional District GOP contest with GOP activist and conservative blogger Michael Brodkorb.

Submit your questions in the comment section here, or by sending a Tweet to @MPRpolitics.

Candidates: Mike Parry, Allen Quist

Live Election Results from MPR News

More on Brodkorb's new blog and his employment dispute with the state after the jump.

Continue reading "Video: 1st Congressional District GOP results analysis"

And the polls are closed...

Posted at 8:00 PM on August 14, 2012 by Catharine Richert
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: Minn. House Races, Campaign 2012: Minn. Senate Races, Campaign 2012: U.S. House, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD8

It's 8 p.m., and the polls have closed across Minnesota.

You can see results as they come in on MPR's website here. As expected, turn out across the state was low.

Tonight, we'll be keeping tabs on several important primary races on the Capitol View blog, including contests in the 1st and 8th congressional districts, and several hotly contested legislative districts.

If you haven't been following these races closely, here are a few to watch:

Minnesota's 1st Congressional District:

In southern Minnesota, Republican state Sen. Mike Parry and Allen Quist are competing to challenge incumbent DFL Rep. Tim Walz in November.

Both candidates have raised relatively little money compared to Walz, but with a few exceptions Parry and Quist generally agree on a number of issues important to the Republican party.

In recent weeks, the Parry-Quist race became more interesting after Parry brought up comments Quist made years ago about social issues, including the roles of men and women in the home.

Last week, Parry got more attention when he called Gov. Mark Dayton "scary" and said that he saw Dayton "pop 15 to 16 pills" during a meeting.

Minnesota's 8th Congressional District:

Jeff Anderson, Tarryl Clark and Rick Nolan are in a three-way contest to challenge Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack in November.

Nolan, a former Minnesota congressman, has the DFL endorsement, but Clark has the fundraising advantage among the three candidates. Since she entered the race, Clark has raised $1.1 million, much of it coming from her wide fundraising network outside the 8th District and the state. Nolan has so far raised $357,655 and Anderson has raised $172,359, according to their most recent campaign finance filings.

The race heated up in recent weeks when Women Vote!, the political spending arm of Emily's List, a group that supports female candidates who support legalized abortions including Clark, sent out a mailer to voters in the 8th questioning Nolan's voting record on abortion issues.

And the Clark campaign released an ad challenging Nolan's work as founder and chairman of the Minnesota World Trade Center. Nolan called the ad "gutter-dirty politics."

Senate District 33:

State Republican Rep. Connie Doepke of Orono and GOP-endorsed David Osmek are both vying to replace retiring Republican state Sen. Gen Olson.

Doepke lost the endorsement to Osmek earlier this year, and the race has since attracted attention from outside groups including the Freedom Club and Americans for Prosperity Minnesota.

Both organizations have a conservative bent, but both have also sent out mailers challenging incumbent Doepke's record on spending and President Barack Obama's health care law. Doepke said the mailers distorted her record.

Meanwhile, Doepke has been forced to clarify her endorsements. After including 3rd Congressional District Rep. Erik Paulsen on a campaign mailer, Paulsen sent out a statement reiterating his endorsement of Osmek.

Also worth watching: House District 33B, where incumbent Rep. Steve Smith, R-Mound, lost the GOP endorsement to Cindy Pugh, who has views tend to be more conservative than Smith's.

Senate District 47:

Bruce Schwichtenberg of Carver is trying to unseat Senate Tax Chair Julianne Ortman of Chanhassen. After a two-hour fight at the May convention, delegates in Senate District 47 left without endorsing a candidate.

Ortman said that the convention's unusual outcome had a lot to do with high turnout among delegates who support Ron Paul. They backed Schwichtenberg over Ortman.

For his part, Schwichtenberg said Ortman is not conservative enough for the district.

House District 4A:

Here, three Republicans and two Democrats want to succeed retiring GOP Rep. Morrie Lanning of Moorhead.

House District 6B:

Three Democrats and two Republicans filed for DFL Rep. Tom Rukavina of Virginia's seat, who is retiring after 13 terms.

Primary coverage

Posted at 2:37 PM on August 14, 2012 by Michael Olson
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD8

Programming note on tonight's election coverage

Tonight we'll cover the results online and on the air, with more coverage Wednesday on Morning Edition and The Daily Circuit.

MPR News reporters Tom Scheck and Catharine Richert will provide updates here on Capitol View. Live results are available here.

Also on Capitol View tonight, MPR News editor Michael Olson will host two video chats looking at early results with bloggers. At 9:00p Olson will talk about the 1st Congressional District GOP contest with GOP activist and conservative blogger Michael Brodkorb. At 9:30p Olson talk with liberal bloggers Joel Sipress aka "Joel in Duluth" and Aaron Brown about the DFL contest in the 8th Congressional District. Submit your questions in the comment section here, or by sending a Tweet to @MPRpolitics.

Follow: @MPRnews, @MPRpolitics, @CatRichert and @TomScheck

Unclear where the candidates stand on the issues? Select a Candidate from Minnesota Public Radio News is back. Compare the candidates in the 1st and 8th district races.

Looking for your polling place? Go here.

See you tonight.

Parry and his campaign become the focus of committee hearing

Posted at 3:03 PM on August 9, 2012 by Tom Scheck (4 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: Minn. House Races, Campaign 2012: Minn. Senate Races, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1, MN Legislature, Mark Dayton

State Sen. Mike Parry, R-Waseca, had hoped to use today's Subcommittee on Employee Relations hearing to criticize new state employee contracts but he instead took fire for calling the meeting and how he ran it.

The contract proposals were agreed to by Governor Dayton's administration and the state's two largest public employee unions. The contracts call for an across the board 2 percent pay raise and higher health insurance co-pays. If the subcommittee approves the contracts they go into effect immediately.

Democrats repeatedly questioned why Parry called the hearing now. Several Democrats and union members said the timing is suspicious, given Tuesday's GOP primary in Minnesota's 1st Congressional District that pits Parry against Allen Quist.

"I question that you're using this committee as a different sort of tool than it's been historically used," Rep. Leon Lillie, DFL-North St. Paul said at the outset of the hearing.

Parry repeatedly defended himself. Other lawmakers objected when Parry pounded his gavel and called the audience out of order for guffawing at Rep. Keith Downey, R-Edina, for saying he wanted to treat people fairly.

"Excuse me folks, don't make me clear the room," Parry told the audience. Listen

Lillie later questioned why Parry continued to interrupt and editorialize "when other members were asking questions" about the contracts.

"Is that how you work it in the Senate?" Lille asked

"When you're chair it is,' Parry responded.

"So all's good and fair in love and war in the Senate," Lillie said. "It's probably a blessing your down to your last three meetings. I figure you'll milk this for three days of per diem (legislative pay), perhaps." Listen

Parry quickly called a 10 minute recess and left the room. As he walked out, a member of the audience hollered "pop some pills!" in reference to Parry's recent comments that he saw Gov. Dayton take 15 to 16 pills during legislative negotiations.

The committee returned the focus to the state employee contracts after the recess.

But GOP lawmakers, including Rep. Keith Downey, R-Edina, said they were unhappy that performance-based pay wasn't included in the contract proposal.

"We're still left with length of service and steps as a proxy for value and performance and I don't think that's ultimately where we need to be to get the most out of our state workforce and to encourage innovation and to engage our workers in this difficult process of redesigning and restructuring what we're doing here for the future," Downey said.

Several union leaders and DFL lawmakers called the contract proposal a modest pay increase. Minnesota Association of Professional Employees said Republican opponents of the deal are being vindictive to state workers.

"It's time to move off of pettiness," Monroe said after the hearing. "It's time to get Parry and crew to recognize the work that state workers do and to ratify our contract and move on, so we can move on providing services to the state of Minnesota."

No matter how the subcommittee votes the full Legislature must accept or reject the contracts when the 2013 session starts in January.

Parry said he intends to hold a subcommittee vote on the contracts on Aug. 23. That's nine days after he'll know whether he's on the ballot for Congress in November or will be out of elected office altogether.

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.

Remaining House challengers file: Nolan $127K, Barnes $107K, Parry $52K, Anderson $50K

Posted at 8:20 PM on July 15, 2012 by Brett Neely (1 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD3, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD6, U.S. House

WASHINGTON - The remaining candidates for U.S. House seats this fall have filed their fundraising paperwork for the second quarter with the Federal Election Commission hours before a midnight deadline. The reporting period covers all donations between April 1 and June 30.

In the 8th Congressional District, former Democratic Congressman Rick Nolan reported raising $127,721 for his primary bid to take on Republican U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack. Since entering the race, Nolan has brought in $330,0037. Nolan's campaign bank account has $93,435 cash on hand. Political action committees, including PACs affiliated with U.S. Sens. Al Franken, Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, were responsible for $37,184 of those donations. His campaign also touts the statistic that 91 percent of its contributions come from within Minnesota, a likely dig at Cravaack, whose family now lives in New Hampshire and at fellow DFL candidate Tarryl Clark, who has access to national Democratic fundraising circles such as EMILY's List thanks to her previous campaign against Michele Bachmann.

Jeff Anderson, the other DFL candidate hoping to take on Cravaack, raised $50,095 and has $18,352 cash in the bank. Including this quarter, his campaign has raised a total of $164,327. None of Anderson's fundraising haul came from PACs.

In the 3rd District, DFL challenger Brian Barnes brought in $107,012 for his bid to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen. Barnes has $56,552 in the bank. PACs, including Al Franken's PAC and several union PACs, donated $10,000 his campaign.

Republican Mike Parry raised $51,961 for his campaign to take the 1st District away from incumbent Democrat U.S. Rep. Tim Walz. Parry has $30,608 in the bank. No political action committees contributed to his campaign.

Walz raises $235K in second quarter

Posted at 4:39 PM on July 15, 2012 by Catharine Richert
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: U.S. House, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1

First Congressional District Rep. Tim Walz has raised $234,855 in the second quarter of the year, according to a campaign finance report filed with the Federal Election Commission Sunday.

That brings the three-term Democrat's total fundraising for this election cycle to $1,466,453.

Walz reports having $808,644 in the bank and no debt.

A big chunk of Walz's cash came from political action committees or "PACs" as they are commonly called. All told, these organizations, including the American Sugar Cane League of USA PAC, the Delta Airlines PAC, and a variety of labor, energy and health care fundraising committees, gave Walz $102,000 this quarter. That brings the amount of cash Walz has raised this election from specific groups to $577,925.

Walz's potential opponent Allen Quist has raised $178,230 this quarter, much of it coming from his own pockets.

Minnesota Sen. Mike Parry, the other Republican vying to take on Walz this fall, has yet to report his finances for April, May and June.

Bachmann to help Quist raise money

Posted at 9:54 AM on July 6, 2012 by Tim Pugmire
Filed under: Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1, Michele Bachmann

Republican 1st District Congressional candidate Allen Quist announced today that GOP Congresswoman Michele Bachmann will appear on his behalf this month at two campaign fundraisers in Rochester.

According to a Quist news release, the fundraisers are scheduled for Friday, July 20, at the home of Dr. Scott and Jann Wright. His web site says tickets for a private reception are $250, while tickets for a general reception are $50.

"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," the release said.

Quist is running in the GOP primary against state Sen. Mike Parry, R-Waseca. The winner will face incumbent Democratic Congressman Tim Walz in November.

Gov. Dayton's dad gives to Republican Parry for Congress

Posted at 3:04 PM on April 19, 2012 by Tom Scheck
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: U.S. House, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1

Gov. Dayton's father, Bruce Dayton, has given $1,000 to Republican Mike Parry's campaign for Congress.

Parry is seeking the Republican endorsement for Congress in Minnesota's 1st District. He's challenging former state Rep. Allen Quist for the endorsement. The winner will face DFL Rep. Tim Walz in November.

Gov. Dayton's spokeswoman, Katharine Tinucci, confirmed that Bruce Dayton is the governor's father. She said Gov. Dayton had "no idea" about the contribution and that "his father does not discuss his political contributions with him."

Gov. Dayton is a Democrat, but The Center for Responsive Politics says Bruce Dayton has given to politicians from both parties (including Republicans who ran in the Minnesota's 1st District in past cycles).

What makes the contribution to Parry interesting is that Parry and Gov. Dayton have engaged in a war of words over the past two years. For example, Dayton canceled a meeting with Parry after Parry sent out a fundraising e-mail that criticized Dayton.

Bachmann endorses Quist days before GOP convention

Posted at 11:23 AM on April 19, 2012 by Mark Zdechlik (2 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2012: U.S. House, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1

Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is endorsing fellow Republican Allen Quist in the 1st Congressional District race to determine who will run against Democratic Rep. Tim Walz.

Quist, a former state representative from St. Peter, is competing with state Sen. Mike Parry of Waseca for the GOP endorsement. First District delegates meet Saturday in Mankato to take up the endorsement question.

The Quist campaign released parts of a letter Bachmann sent to delegates expressing her support for him.

"You should support Allen because he is someone you can trust," wrote Bachmann, "and I don't have to tell you that trust is a rare commodity in today's political world."

Quist and Parry both say they will abide by the endorsement and drop out of the race if the other wins the endorsement.

Ellison raises $232K, Walz brings in $217K

Posted at 3:10 PM on April 15, 2012 by Brett Neely
Filed under: Campaign 2012: U.S. House, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD1, Campaign 2012: U.S. MN CD5, U.S. House

WASHINGTON - Members of Congress and those who want to replace them face a midnight deadline tonight to report their fundraising for the first three months of the year to the Federal Election Commission.

Among the weekend filers are DFL U.S. Reps. Keith Ellison and Tim Walz.

Ellison's re-election campaign brought in more than $232,000 while Walz's raised more than $217,000. Ellison, who represents Minneapolis, reported having $133,000 in the bank while Walz, who regularly faces tough challenges by Republicans in southern Minnesota, had about $708,000 cash on hand and has raised more than $1.2 million in this election cycle.

Fifth District Republican Chris Fields won his party's endorsement to challenge Ellison in November over the weekend. Fields reported raising a little more than $10,000 last quarter and has less than $5,000 on hand.

In the 1st District, Allen Quist and state Sen. Mike Parry are vying for the GOP's endorsement next weekend to take on Walz. Quist's campaign reported raising $37,000 and has more than $59,000 in cash. His campaign is also $25,000 in debt. Parry brought in more than $17,000 and has $36,000 to spend with no debt.