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5th District: Jorge Saavedra


SNAPSHOT
Though the U.S. Senate race seemed to hold the most promise for a close race, it was the governor's race in Minnesota that grabbed the election-night headlines. Incumbent Tim Pawlenty held onto his office by just 22,000 votes over DFLer Mike Hatch. But Pawlenty saw his GOP colleagues swept out of office. In the Senate race, DFLer Amy Klobuchar easily beat Rep. Mark Kennedy.

The retirement of Sen. Mark Dayton sparked early interest in the campaign, with Rep. Mark Kennedy jumping in early. But a year later, Kennedy emerged as the lone Republican for the job, and Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar's strength was forcing several Democrats, including Patty Wetterling, out of the race.

The Senate race immediately attracted national attention, but as Klobuchar surged ahead of Kennedy in the polls, much national attention turned to the 6th District, where Patty Wetterling and state Sen. Michele Bachmann were the major contenders. Bachmann beat Wettlerling. It was Wetterling's second straight loss in the district. In the 5th, Rep. Keith Ellison became the first Muslim congressman. And in the 1st, incumbent Gil Gutknecht was defeated by DFLer Tim Walz.
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DFL U.S. Senate candidates Amy Klobuchar and Ford Bell make a joint appearance as part of Midday's Meet the Candidates series. They are both hoping for strong support from the party faithful in Tuesday's precinct caucuses. (Midday, 03/03/2006)
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DFL Attorney General Mike Hatch has been keeping a relatively low profile since entering the race for governor. In Midday's ongoing Meet the Candidates series, Hatch explains what he'd do if voters put him in the governor's office this November. (Midday, 02/27/2006)
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Midday's Meet the Candidates series continues with gubernatorial hopeful Steve Kelley. State Sen. Kelley, DFL-Hopkins, chairs the Senate Education Committee and is in his third term in the Minnesota State Senate. (Midday, 02/22/2006)
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