Contrary to Popular Belief
My friends over at MN Publius, in reference to my home district, the 1st, say:
Contrary to popular belief, the 1st is a winable[sic] district (Bush only got 51% of the vote in 2004!).Those of us in southern Minnesota know that it's a very winnable district, especially after a slow, years-long slide to the left. The problem, for the last several election cycles, has been money. Steve Andreasen (2002) and Joe Mayer/Leigh Pomeroy (2004, Mayer dropped out early for health reasons) were ridiculously underfunded with next to no support from the DCCC. As a result, though all were fairly good candidates, none won more than the ~35% that can be expected from the solid Democratic base. I don't have any proof, but I'd bet that none had even half-decent name recognition. They just didn't have the money to get any significant advertising out there. It's great that the DCCC is paying a little attention this year, and while I'm annoyed that they haven't done so in years past, this is the year we're going to take back the 1st. Tim Walz is, judging mostly by what I've heard from knowledgeable others, a top-notch candidate. Icing on the cake is that he's a Fighting Dem. What I'm sure he needs at this point more than anything else is that which will set him apart from his predecessors: money. You can be sure that his opponent, Rep. Gil Gutknecht, will be very well funded. So, if you want to make a difference in what will be one of the most important and exciting races in Minnesota next November, please donate what you can.
