The National Journal (subscription req'd) recently dug into disbursement records for Congressional and Senate candidates in the 2006 election to answer an interesting question: How much did a given candidate spend on each vote he or she eventually received? Alternately, how efficiently did candidates spend their hard-earned warchests?
In a far ranging interview with his district's largest newspaper, the Rochester Post-Bulletin, former Representative Gil Gutknecht discusses the highs and lows of his 12 years in Congress as a republican representing MN-01. Gutknecht is the incumbent, Tim Walz, a fighting Dem. and Camp Wellstone graduate, beat. It is a rather candid interview. When Tim Walz addressed Rahm Emmannuel's group after the election, he did point out that he beat a "personally honorable" incumbent who was not tainted by scandal. There is a hint of bitterness in this interview. I believe Rep. Gutknecht does feel betrayed by his party.
he knows which way the wind blows. Sen. Coleman has long been a fence sitter on the proposed Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad expansion into the coal hills of Wyoming.
It has proven to be a highly divisive issue in the southern third of Minnesota. It pits coal and agriculture interests against environmental groups, larger cities, and the Mayo Clinic. The railroads' 2.3 billion dollar federal loan application, enabled by former DME lobbyist, now Senator Thune, R-SD, has put the project front and center. Republicans in the area have hoped the project would just go away, say like our FORMER congressional representative of MN-01, Gil Gutknecht, who lost in the recent election to Tim Walz. Walz, a fighting Dem, took a strong stand against the project. More below the fold:
Just thought I'd give you all an update on a netroots race. Head over to A Bluestem Prairie for race background and ongoing coverage. The Star Tribune also has great coverage.
The Governor's race is within 5,000 votes, with Mike Hatch (DFL) barely clinging to a lead over incumbent Tim Pawlenty (R).
Yesterday two rallies were held in Mankato for the first district race in southern Minnesota. Whose had the greater attendace? The one for Fighting Dem Tim Walz. Tim is showing he can hold his own. He's also getting great national and local press. You can hear his CNN performance as well as check out all his other coverage at http://bluestemprairie.com
Tim is a 24 year veteran of the National Guard. His unit is in Iraq right now. He knows how smart the troops are. Walz is in a tight race with 12 year incumbent Gil Gutknecht. The national press will likely be there. What would kossacks like to hear Tim say?
Republican Representative Gil Gutknecht is talking up the strong economy in the closing days of a tight re-election campaign. The problem: Middle-class voters in his southern Minnesota district aren't inclined to celebrate upbeat economic statistics.
Gutknecht, a six-term House member, isn't alone. Republicans who planned to use low unemployment, cheaper gasoline and a surging stock market as a shield against discontent over the Iraq war and congressional scandals are discovering that there's little protection to be had.
The reason, some analysts say, is the gap between a statistically strong five-year expansion and strapped family budgets. Middle-class households' finances are getting stretched as workers struggle with higher costs for health care, education, home heating and property taxes.
This post is from Tim Walz, a fighting Dem candidate for Congress in MN-1.
As the election draws near, I want to thank all of you involved in the Netroots movement for your unending support, and for joining me in the fight for the future of our country. Without your help, we would not have achieved the things we have. You represent the core of the progressive movement, people who do the hard work of democracy. In the last week I've become a poster child for the Democratic tidal wave that is about to hit Congress, but that was not always the case. I want to take this opportunity to thank you for blessing me with your support when few people outside of my district were even paying attention.
Lakeville, MN October 17, 2006 -- A post on www.LakevilleDad.com shows Rep. John Kline tops the list of Minnesota candidates receiving campaign contributions from representatives accused of being the most unethical in Congress by the non-profit watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).
In a currently-running advertisement, incumbent Gil Gutknecht (R-MN) makes several claims about his opponent's positions regarding illegal immigrations. The facts asserted in the ad are, shall we say, somewhat spurious.
The Gutknecht ad accuses Walz of supporting "a plan to give amnesty to 11 million illegals already here," and cites an article from the New Ulm Journal from July 8th, 2006. This claim appears to twist the text and intent of that article:
Federal political candidates, parties and committees have accepted nearly $3 million in contributions from tobacco companies so far in the 2005-2006 election cycle, according to a study by the Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund and Common Cause.
In a press release today, the campaign of Gil Gutknecht (R-inc) sought to dampen the effect of ads running in Minnesota's First District criticizing the incumbent Republican. The ads, produced and paid for by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), include a photo of Gutknecht in a tuxedo, which, according to the Gutknecht camp, is an attempt to mislead voters because the photo is from a charity event where Gutknecht served as auctioneer.
First off, I have to credit A Bluestem Prairie and MN Publius credit for these stories. They haven't been posted on dKos and I am doing it with their permission.
First the story in the headline.
This came from a Bloomberg article in which Gutknect is quoted twice. The second quote is
"Voters vote their pocketbooks, and ultimately the strength of the economy will be the ace in the hole for Republicans," Gutknecht said.
While he said last week's events are "more distractions than they are pivotal to the outcome of November's elections," Gutknecht added that "it could get dangerous" if those distractions pile up.
Right. Distractions such as Iraq, the torture bill, Mark Foley, Condi Rice ignoring George Tennet. And about that economy...sure Wall Street's looking good, but housing is doing horrible, working sector jobs are paying less, the costs of living and healthcare are going up, and you're actively trying to break Social Security. But other than those minor things, yes. The economy's fucking fine.
I also reccommend watching his bio ad and his first ad on the air, both easily found on his website. Tim Walz is challenging Gil Gutknecht for Minnesota's first district seat.
[Updated: thanks to NorthernGoshawk for finding the Gil doesn't know **** vid]
Great news. mnpublius is reporting that DFL candidate Tim Walz is leading incumbent Republican Gil Gutknecht 46% to 40% with 14% undecided. Walz has been working hard in classic Wellstone style. He's got people doorknocking throughout the district, he's got my Mom and hundreds of others phoning for him. Plus he's an inspirational leader. Tim has been outraising his opponent, too.
Another good ad, but because Walz really does have an impressive bio.
We have an incredible cast of challengers trying to transform D.C. Let's support them every which was possible. And if you are in Minnesota, you have a wealth of candidates to support. Whether it's Tim Walz in the 1st, Coleen Rowley in the 2nd, or Patty Wetterling in the 6th, or the hot governor's race, you guys have plenty of options for getting involved.
Tim Walz is one of the most inspiring candidates we have. He's a Netroots candidate running in MN-01 against Congressman Gil Gutknecht, a '94 Revolution Republican, who, despite the rather flamboyant name, is just another pliable and bland rubber stamp.
quality video on YouTube made from remarks at last Walz vs. Gutknecht debate at the Rochester Chamber of Commerce. The Dakota, Minnesota, and Eastern Railroad is planning on running up to 37 coal trains adjacent to the Mayo Clinic and through Rochester, Minnesota with its' possible $2.5 billion dollar federal loan. Walz came out against this loan at the debate, his opponent Gutknecht, a self avowed "fiscal conservative", does not have a position. Anyone of a number of people/groups who oppose the trains could have put this video together.
