[an error occurred while processing this directive]
Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Site Navigation

  • News and features
  • Events
  • Membership
  • About Us
Radio
404 Not Found

Not Found

The requested URL /collections/politics/include_collection_navigation.shtml was not found on this server.

8th District: Rod Grams


SNAPSHOT
Grams floated a trial balloon about a run for Senate that went nowhere and he decided not to pursue the seat he once held, thus avoiding an intra-party squabble with Rep. Mark Kennedy. In May 2006, however, he announced he would seek the 8th Congressional District seat held by Rep. James Oberstar. . After first being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, Rod Grams gained the distinction of being the first freshman in the 103rd Congress to get legislation enacted into law: a bill to provide regulatory relief for loans for those devastated by the 1993 Midwest flood. He also pushed a $500 per child tax credit. But much of his focus during his Senate term was revamping Social Security, an issue that really didn't come into its own in Congress until President Bush proposed in 2005 what Grams was proposing in the late '90s. Grams says he was motivated to run for Senate because of the issues that have surfaced in Congress now are the issues he was trying to spearhead then.

Candidate Bio

Rod Grams
Political affiliation:
Republican Party
Born:
February 4, 1948
Princeton, MN
Personal:
Married, four children from previous marriage. Resides in Crown. Lutheran.
Occupation:
Owns three radio stations in Little Falls. Homebuilder. Was anchorman for KMSP-TV in the Twin Cities.
Education:
Carroll College, Helena, MT
Major political experience:
Grams ran and won a U.S. House seat in the 6th Congressional District. He defeated 10-year incumbent Democratic Rep. Gerry Sikorski in 1992. He was elected to the U.S. Senate, replacing the retiring Dave Durenberger in 1996.

Campaign Finances

Total contributions
$335,143
Total disbursements
$241,489
Cash on hand
$93,654
Source: Federal Election Commission. October 2006

Links and Resources

Open Secrets
Document Rod Grams

Candidate Pages

State Sen. Michele Bachmann has suspended her congressional campaign while she enters a hospital for medical treatment. (02/27/2006)
Patty Wetterling's announcement has upset the other Democrat in the race and has Republicans hopeful that the seat will stay in their hands. (02/03/2006)
State Sen. Sharon Marko said Wednesday she is jumping into the DFL race for Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District, pitting her against former FBI agent Coleen Rowley. (02/01/2006)
Children's safety advocate Patty Wetterling said Friday she is ending her Democratic campaign for U.S. Senate, and threw her support to Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar. (01/20/2006)
Supporters of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in Minnesota are going to have a tougher time getting the measure on the ballot next November. They've lost two critical votes in the Minnesota Senate in recent special elections. (12/28/2005)
The Pentagon is tentatively considering reducing the number of troops in Iraq by as many as three brigades over the next year, according to news reports. There are currently 18 brigades on the ground. Is U.S. military strategy in Iraq proving effective? ( 11/25/2005)
If a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage makes it on the ballot next year, it could give a big boost to Republican candidates for governor and U.S. Senate. (11/21/2005)
Two days after Attorney General Mike Hatch entered the governor's race, the top Democrat in the Minnesota House has announced he's running for Hatch's job. (10/26/2005)
Patty Wetterling ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Minnesota 6th District House seat last year against Republican Mark Kennedy, who will one of her competitors again in in the U.S. Senate race. But Wetterling says this time, she's running a smarter campaign. (10/09/2005)
As hundreds of Minnesota National Guard troops left this weekend for eventual deployment to Iraq, U.S. Rep. John Kline saw his son go overseas as well. Kline, R-Minn., said his son, Army Major J. Daniel Kline, is on his way to Iraq as part of the 101st Airborne Division. Kline spoke with MPR's Cathy Wurzer. (09/19/2005)
FBI 9/11 whistle blower Coleen Rowley formally launched her campaign for congress today. Rowley is challenging Republican John Kline in the 2nd District. She's running as a Democrat even though she says until recently she voted pretty much straight-line Republican, including a vote for the congressman she's now trying to unseat. (07/06/2005)
Former Minnesota Transportation Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg is the first DFLer to formally announce his candidacy for the open congressional seat in Minnesota's 6th District. Tinklenberg made the announcement Tuesday in Blaine, where he once served as mayor. (06/14/2005)
Senate candidates Mark Kennedy, Amy Klobuchar and Patty Wetterling each list assets of less than $1 million in financial disclosure forms while a fourth candidate said his assets and liabilities both exceed $50 million, according to an Associated Press review. (05/27/2005)
Coleen Rowley is considering a race for Congress in Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District, the former FBI whistle-blower told The Associated Press Monday. (05/23/2005)
The Republicans vying for a spot on Minnesota's 6th Congressional District ballot hauled in comparable amounts of campaign cash and, in some cases, looked to the same donors, according to reports that were due Friday. (04/15/2005)
404 Not Found

Not Found

The requested URL /standard/include/mpr005/global_module_shortcuts.shtml was not found on this server.

404 Not Found

Not Found

The requested URL /standard/include/mpr005/global_ad_column.shtml was not found on this server.