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Candidate Bio
Betty McCollum
Political affiliation:
DFL
Born:
July 12, 1954
Minneapolis
Personal:
Divorced. Mother of adult son and daughter. Catholic. Resides in St. Paul
Occupation:
Former teacher. Current congresswoman
Education:
Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of St. Catherine, majoring in social studies and minoring in political science.
Major political experience:
Current congresswoman from the 4th District, Former state legislator, Former member of North St. Paul City Council.
Audio and Debates
Links and Resources
Document Past 4th District results:Results of recent elections.
House Web site:
Document www.house.gov/mccollum/
Campaign Web site:
Document www.mccollumforcongress.com
Campaign 2002:
Document Coverage of McCollum's re-election bid
Campaign 2000:
Document McCollum's initial election for Congress
Campaign contributors:
Document Political Money Line
Candidate Pages
District Pages

Betty McCollum

SNAPSHOT
When her daughter got hurt on a slide in a city park and the North St. Paul City Council would not fix the problem that led to the accident, Betty McCollum got involved in politics. She was elected to the city council on her second try.

In 1992 she ran for the state House of Representatives. District lines were being redrawn at the time so she ran against two incumbents. She beat them both.

In office, she was a strong environmentalist who opposed Northern States Power when the utility sought permission to store spent nuclear waste in dry casks outside the plant. She advocated election reform, including allowing absentee voters to be able to vote without stating a reason they couldn't get to the polls. She had a 92 percent rating from the AFL/CIO and a 100 percent rating from the Sierra Club. She is in favor of abortion rights.

In her 1992 race for the state House, Betty McCollum beat incumbent Rep. Rick O'Conner in the DFL primary with 53.5 percent of the vote and then went on to beat Republican Rep. Dennis Newinski with nearly the same vote margin. Her reelections since have been by wider margins.

In the primary for the U.S. House seat being vacated by Rep. Bruce Vento, she survived a heated challenge by three experienced politicians. Two opponents, state Sen. Steve Novak, and St. Paul City Council Member Chris Coleman, said she distored their record in campaign literature. They complained even louder of aggressive mailings sent on McCollum's behalf by the state DFL Party. McCollum was the endorsed candidate. Ultimately, McCollum defeated Republican Linda Runbeck and Independence Party candidate Tom Foley with 48 percent of the vote. Then, in 2002, she won an easy victory with 74% of the votes cast.

In 2004, McCollum faced Patrice Bataglia, a Dakota County commissioner. McCollum easily was re-elected with a 58%-to-33% victory. See election results for the 4th District.


Coleman, Oberstar lead in travel on special interests' dime
An investigation by Marketplace, American RadioWorks, and a Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism finds Rep. Jim Oberstar and Sen. Norm Coleman lead Minnesota's congressional delegation when it comes to privately- sponsored trips, paid for by special interests. Good-government proponents say free travel is one of the most abused government perks.
Republicans face uphill battle in the 7th
In Minnesota's 7th Congressional District, Republicans face an uphill struggle as they try to unseat incumbent Collin Peterson. Peterson is seeking his 8th term in the U.S. House. His challenger is David Sturrock, a Southwest State University political science professor from Marshall.
Does Congress deserve its bad rap?
The 108th Congress has been called one of the least productive in history. But one scholar says the American institution is often misunderstood.
Race for Minnesota's 2nd District takes shape
The race for President has been overshadowing some other campaigns in Minnesota. One of them is in Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District. The contest between Republican John Kline and DFLer Teresa Daly mirrors many of the issues being discussed in the presidential contest. The war in Iraq is at the top of the list of issues that the two candidates are debating.
Delegation visit frames question: How best to serve?
A group of Minnesotans attending the Republican National Convention in New York spent several hours on Tuesday painting a day care center. The volunteer work was part of the Republican Party's theme of "compassionate conservatism." Minnesota Republicans say the activity highlights their belief that the government can't fix all of society's problems, and individuals need to step to the plate. Critics say while Republicans talk about compassion, Republican officials have cut much of the safety net for people in need.
Minnesota representatives get a firsthand look at the Middle East
Two of Minnesota's U.S. Congressional Representatives, returning from an eight-day tour of Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries, share their impressions of the situation there.
Mark Kennedy touts experience in re-election campaign
Congressman Mark Kennedy finds himself in his third competitive race in three runs for the U.S. House. The Republican narrowly defeated an incumbent in 2000. In 2002, he ran against a well-financed challenger and now he's running against the well-known, well-financed Patty Wetterling. Kennedy has been mentioned in Republican party circles as a possible opponent to DFL Sen. Mark Dayton in 2006. But Kennedy says he's focusing on keeping his seat in Congress.
Kennedy, McCollum leave Iraq with different impressions
Finishing up a congressional trip to Iraq, Rep. Betty McCollum was struck by how fearful ordinary Iraqis were of continued violence. Rep. Mark Kennedy, on the same trip, marveled at how much things are improving.
Farmfest's congressional forum
It's an election year, so more than machinery was on hand at this summer's Farmfest. Plenty of politicians were there, too, at the Gilfillan Estate near Morgan. The event will include a variety of candidates and government officials participated in a candidate forum.
Pols get earful from educators on No Child Left Behind law
One of the architects of the federal Leave No Child Behind law faced a round of criticism on Thursday from Minnesota educators. The chair of the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee met in Woodbury with a group of principals, school superintendents and teachers to talk about concerns with federal education policies.
Congressional candidates debate trade policies
Several hundred people at a congressional debate at Farmfest on Tuesday got a preview of the fall election campaign. Candidates from several Minnesota congressional districts tackled everything from rural education to ethanol. Some of the sharpest opinions concerned U.S. trade policy.
Wetterling is working hard to raise money and attention in Minnesota's 6th Congressional District
Political junkies will be scanning the latest fundraising reports, looking to see how candidates in the most competitive races are faring. In Minnesota they'll pay particular attention to the 6th Congressional District race between Republican incumbent Mark Kennedy and DFLer Patty Wetterling. The race may come down to experience versus name recognition. Kennedy is hoping that voters will appreciate his two terms in office over Wetterling's popularity.
Wetterling's campaign theme: Children are our future
DFLers have made it official: Patty Wetterling is the party's choice to unseat Republican Mark Kennedy this fall in Minnesota's 6th Congressional District. The unanimous endorsement came before Saturday's DFL state convention in Duluth.
Rep. John Kline on Iraqi prisoner abuse
Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee today are expected to see more pictures and video of American soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners. The Pentagon will make the material available for viewing in a high-security room in the Capitol. The viewing comes a day after the beheading of an American citizen was shown on an Islamic Website. The video said the killing of Nick Berg was to avenge the abuse of Iraqis by American soldiers. Minnesota Second District Congressman Republican John Kline is on the House Armed Services committee. He says it is unclear when the new images of prisoner abuse will be made public.
Wetterling jumps into broader political arena in Congress bid
Patty Wetterling made it official Tuesday, announcing her candidacy for Minnesota's 6th Congressional district. She'll run as a Democrat against incumbent Republican Rep. Mark Kennedy. Tragedy has given Patty Wetterling tremendous name recognition. In 1989, her son Jacob was abducted at gunpoint near his St. Joseph home, and he's been missing ever since. Wetterling has spent 14 years pushing for state and national legislation to deal with violence against children. Now Wetterling will need to convince people her candidacy is about more than one issue.

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