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Candidate Bio
Jim Ramstad
Political affiliation:
Republican Party
Born:
May 6, 1946
Jamestown, N.D.
Personal:
Single. Resides in Plymouth. Protestant
Occupation:
Congressman from 3rd District. Former practicing attorney.
Education:
B.A. degree from the University of Minnesota in 1968 (Phi Beta Kappa); J.D. from George Washington University in 1973.
Major political experience:
First elected to Congress in 1990. He is a member of the Ways and Means Committee and the Trade and Health Subcommittees.
Audio and Debates
Links and Resources
Campaign Web site:
Document www.ramstad.org
House Web site:
Document www.house.gov/ramstad/
Campaign 2002: Ramstad
Document Coverage of Ramstad's 2002 re-election bid
Campaign contributors:
Document Political Money Line
Candidate Pages
District Pages

Jim Ramstad

SNAPSHOT
Jim Ramstad, a moderate Republican, has coasted through his three most recent elections in 2002, 2000 and 1998 with around 70 percent of the vote. His House voting record has been generally conservative on fiscal matters but a little more liberal on social issues. Ramstad is pro-choice.

Ramstad voted against a ban on assault-style weapons. He supports the death penalty for drug-related killings, murders of police officers, and for sexual assaults which result in death.

Ramstad launched his first bid for the U.S. House in 1990, saying "I want to work for job creation and economic growth as I've done in the Minnesota Senate for 10 years." He opposed raising federal taxes, saying "Taxes are an important facet of economic growth. In the face of a recession, raising taxes does not reduce budget deficits."

During the 105th Congress, Ramstad worked on a more personal issue — alcoholism. Ramstad, an alcoholic himself, introduced a bill in 1998 that would guarantee equal insurance coverage for treatment of substance-abuse addiction and other medical services. The measure was modeled after a new law that is intended to achieve similar parity for mental health services. Ramstad said addiction was a "life or death" issue for the estimated 26 million Americans who are abusing drugs or alcohol. "As a recovering alcoholic, I've seen firsthand the value of treatment for people like me who are chemically dependent," Ramstad said.

Jim Ramstad was elected to the U.S. House in 1990 with 67 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Lou Demars and re-elected in 1992 with 66 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Paul Mandell. He was re-elected in 1994 with 74 percent, defeating Democrat Bob Olson. He was re-elected in 1996 with 70 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Stanley Leino. Ramstad defeated Leino again in 1998, winning re-election with 72 percent of the vote in a race that also featured a third-party candidate. In 2000, he was re-elected with 68 percent of the vote. In 2002, he beat Darryl Stanton by a 72-to-28 percent margin.

Near the end of the 2002 election, he became the focal point of the Senate campaign, when, at a memorial service for Paul Wellstone, the senator's campaign treasurer exhorted him to vote for Walter Mondale against Norm Coleman. Ramstad stuck with Coleman. But while Kahn came in for heavy criticism, it was Ramstad who called him days later to say he understood Kahn's grief. In 2003, Ramstad helped persuade the House to pass a $10 million Wellstone Center for Community Building on St. Paul's West side.

In the election of 2004, Ramstad was, again, an easy winner, turning aside a challenge from DFLer Deborah Watts by a 65%-to-35% margin. See election results for the 3rd District.


Wetterling's popularity no guarantee she can win in the 6th District
Missing childrens' advocate Patty Wetterling popularity gives her a big boost in the 6th Congressional District, but she'll need more than name recognition to win and unseat Republican incumbent Mark Kennedy.
McCollum carving out niche on African AIDS crisis
Rep. Betty McCollum has traveled twice to Africa in the past year, government records show, working on AIDS issues and elevating her stature in Congress in the process. The trips by McCollum, a St. Paul Democrat, were the most high-profile privately funded travel of any Minnesota House member, travel records reviewed by The Associated Press found.
Republican congressman responds to Kerry visit
Democrats are not the only ones interested in John Kerry's visit to Minnesota. Republicans in the state are also watching the presumptive Democratic candidate for president closely as they try to help president Bush win the state's 10 electoral votes. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Republican Congressman Mark Kennedy, who represents the 6th Congressional District. Kennedy has been a strong supporter of President Bush.
Kennedy has company in the 6th District
Patty Wetterling, an advocate for missing and exploited children, is a DFL candidate in Minnesota 6th District. Wetterling's campaign says she filed the necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission and will start raising money right away. Wetterling is one of several candidates who will be seeking the Democratic nomination to run in the 6th District. Whoever wins the nomination will face Republican incumbent Mark Kennedy.
Wetterling mulling run for Congress
Patty Wetterling is thinking about running for Congress this fall to oust Republican Mark Kennedy. Wetterling is nationally known for the way she responded to the 1989 abduction of her son Jacob who's still missing. She helped create the Jacob Wetterling Foundation to push child safety issues at the state capitol, and in Washington, D.C. The DFL party has been recruiting her for the past couple of weeks to run in the Sixth Congressional District which stretches from the suburbs of the Twin Cities, up to St. Cloud. If she does decide to run, she will have to secure the DFL endorsement before a possible matchup against Kennedy. At least one other DFLer, Ted Thompson, has already announced his intention to get the DFL endorsement. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Patty Wetterling.
Rep. John Kline discusses the violence in Iraq
Another U.S. Marine has been killed in the Iraqi city of Fallujah. Meantime, Shiite Muslim militias now have at least partial control over three southern Iraqi cities. What should the U.S.-led coalition do to end the violence?
Congressman Kline still supports Iraq war
One year ago, the United States started the war that eventually ousted Saddam Hussein from Iraq. In the time since the bombs first fell, politicians, activists, and citizens have debated the decision to go to war and its consequences. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Republican Congressman John Kline.
Minnesota suing North Dakota over hunting laws
Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch and Rep. Collin Peterson are suing the state of North Dakota over hunting restrictions. A North Dakota law passed last year restricts the first week of the waterfowl hunting season to North Dakota residents only. Hatch says the law discriminates against Minnesotans and other nonresidents.
Sturrock to challenge Peterson in 7th District
Southwest Minnesota State University professor David Sturrock said Tuesday that he'll run against 7th District Congressman Collin Peterson.
Minnesota congressional reaction to the State of the Union
Both Democrats and Republicans are reacting to the president's State of the Union address. In a nationally televised speech, Bush outlined his domestic priorities for the country and called on Americans to stand behind him in the war on terror. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer spoke with two members of Minnesota's congressional delegation -- Republican John Kline and Democrat Betty McCollum.
John Thune challenges Daschle for U.S. Senate
Some political analysts say South Dakota's race for the United State Senate just became the closest watched race in the nation. Former Republican congressman John Thune announced his intentions to challenge Democratic leader Tom Daschle. Thune ran against Senator Tim Johnson in 2002 and lost by just over 500 votes.
Does Mark Kennedy have higher goals?
Some of the biggest political speculation in Minnesota has nothing to do with the 2004 election. Instead, it's looking ahead to 2006 when DFL incumbent U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton is up for re-election. One of the names most often mentioned as a Republican who might challenge Dayton is 6th District Congressman Mark Kennedy, who was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2000.
Kennedy on toll roads and current events
Rep. Mark Kennedy, R-Minn. talks about his proposal to ease traffic congestion with toll roads, and other issues facing Congress. He also takes listener questions.
Rep. McCollum back from Iraq
Congresswoman Betty McCollum recently returned from a three-day fact-finding trip to Iraq, amidst a wave of violence in Baghdad. McCollum says there is an opportunity for democracy, stability and economic prosperity for Iraq. She says military leaders report some successes, but she says they tell her sometimes it feels like two steps forward and one step back. We talk with her about her trip.
The prescription drug wars
Elected leaders from every level of government and seven states, including Minnesota, gathered Tuesday to add fuel to what they believe is a growing national crusade to make lower-cost Canadian drugs available to American citizens. We hear President Bush's announcement about medicare and prescription drugs, and then discuss the state's plan to make it easier for people to get prescription drugs from Canada.

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