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Candidate Bio
James Oberstar
Political affiliation:
Democratic Party
Born:
September 10, 1934
Chisholm, Minn.
Personal:
Married to Jean Oberstar. Four children from his marriage to Jo, who died in 1991. Catholic.
Occupation:
8th District congressman. Navy civilian language teacher, Haiti, 1959-63.
Education:
Bachelor's degree from the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., in 1956 and a master's degree from the College of Europe in Belgium in 1957.
Major political experience:
Administrative assistant to Rep. John Blatnik, 1963-74; Elected to U.S. House of Representatives, 1974.
Audio
Links and Resources
Web site:
Document www.house.gov/oberstar/
Campaign Web site:
Document www.oberstar.org
Campaign contributors:
Document Political Money Line
Candidate Pages
District Pages

Jim Oberstar

SNAPSHOT
James L. Oberstar is the dean of the Minnesota congressional delegation with 15 terms under his belt. He is the longest-serving member of Congress in Minnesota's history. The seniority has brought a powerful committee position and more clout than other politicians from the state. He has an independent streak and is perceived as something of a maverick.

Creole-speaking Oberstar, who served the U.S. Navy in Haiti, came to the House in 1974, seeking to succeed Rep. John Blatnik, his former employer. He lost the DFL endorsement for the seat to state Sen. Tony Perpich, but ran in the primary and defeated Perpich handily.

He had few serious challenges in his subsequent re-election bids. In 1984, he lost a primary bid for the U.S. Senate.

In the 107th Congress, Oberstar remained the senior Democrat on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, where he has earned a reputation for bringing home the bacon. As of late, he's been a central figure in the debate over how to make air travel safer in a post-Sept. 11 world.

Oberstar is a critic of the Transportation Security Adminstration, saying it has moved to slow to enhance baggage screening and put federal employees at check points.

Although he's in his late 60s, Oberstar hasn't slowed a bit. He loves to ride a bike and last year he logged 2,630 miles. He likes biking so much that he's joined with other members of Congress to form a bike lobby. And he's helped Congress quadruple spending on bike projects in the last decade to nearly $2 billion, which has helped build 20,000 miles of bike trails, put bike racks on buses and establish safety programs.

His district is one of the nation's largest. It stretches north from Chisago and Isanti counties in east-central Minnesota, through Duluth and the Iron Range to the Canadian border. He opposes abortion and is against the death penalty.

James Oberstar was elected to the U.S. House in 1974 with 62 percent of the vote. He has been re-elected 14 times, all with ease. Oberstar's three most recent contests are prime examples. In 1998 he defeated Republican Jerry Shuster with 66 percent of the vote in a race that also featured Stan "The Man" Estes. In the 2000 general election he faced another nicknamed challenger, "Cowboy" Bob Lemen, a native Texan who has settled in Grand Rapids. He beat Lemen with 68 percent of the vote. He outspent Lemen $1 million to $22,000. In 2002, he again beat Lemen by a 69-to-31-percent margin.

In 2004, Oberstar faced Mark Groettum, a Republican, and Van Presley, a member of the Green Party. Oberstar cruised to re-election, capturing 65% of the vote in the three-way race, the 5th straight election in which he captured at least 65% of the votes cast. See 8th District election results.


McCollum's view of Iraq
Rep. Betty McCollum, DFL-Minn., has returned from a trip to Iraq. During her visit, a wave of coordinated attacks took place, some targeting the Red Cross headquarters in Baghdad, killing more than 35 people. She also visited Mosul, in northern Iraq, where she and other members of her delegation with the House International Relations committee met with members of the 101st Airborne Division. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer spoke with McCollum.
Kennedy remarks on Iraq
Minnesota 6th district republican Congressman Mark Kennedy talks about his recent trip to Iraq, and the major issues facing Congress this fall.
Tolls for thee, Minnesota?
In the next couple of years, Minnesotans could be paying tolls to use certain metropolitan highway lanes. State and federal lawmakers are considering plans to charge lane fees to relieve congestion and fund new road projects. The proposal is part of a mix of highway development and financing plans announced by Gov. Tim Pawlenty's administration and legislators from both parties.

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