Kennedy's decision sets off race for his seat in Congress

[Freddie Stubbs]

Aspiring replacements for U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy scrambled to establish a foothold in the 6th Congressional District after the Republican announced Friday he'll run for the U.S. Senate in 2006.

One Republican state senator, Michelle Bachmann of Stillwater, said Friday that she's definitely running for the seat, and plans to make a formal announcement at 9 a.m. on Monday. Another likely Republican candidate, state Rep. Jim Knoblach of St. Cloud, stopped short of declaring his candidacy but also said he'd be stating his plans Monday.

On the Democratic side, party officials said potential candidates are likely to wait for a decision from Patty Wetterling, the children's advocate who lost a hard-fought race to Kennedy last November.

"I think everyone wants to know what Patty is going to do,'' said former Democratic congressman Bill Luther, who used to represent parts of the 6th District. Luther said he's not interested in the seat.

more: http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/5236127.html

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. Mr. Kennedy...

Sounds like he is ripe for a hoisting on his own petard.

How many terms doe he have under his belt?

[Freddie Stubbs]

2. He was just elected to his third term

[no name no slogan]

3. VERY marginally, I might add

He's a third-term incumbent, and he has NEVER won a decisive victory in any of his congressional races. In fact, he won his first race by only a couple hundred votes, IIRC.

Kennedy has been vulnerable since the day he took office. He votes with Dubya 98% of the time. Even though his district is relatively conservative, he's still not very popular there. In fact, Patty Wetterling, a political neophyte, ran a competitive race against him in '04.

If Kennedy were doing a good job, he'd be winning his races by a landslide by now. But he's always fighting that re-election battle.

[CatholicEdHead]

4. Michelle Bachmann,

yes the Rep who stands out. She has now thrown her hat in for Kennedy's seat. How much do you think her signature issue is going to hurt her? I am of course talking about the anti-gay marriage ammendment?

I expect it would hurt her enough in District 6, since she is also talking about opting out of NCLB. Now, a Republican opting out of another Republican plan is "good cop-bad cop". That must be to try to make up for her weaknesses in the anti-gay marriage ammendment proposal.

Since 6 was pretty close with Wetterling, I think that Bachmann would have a hard time running on issues that divide, plus her party hypriracy over NCLB will also hurt.

[no name no slogan]

5. God I hope she gets the endorsement and wins the primary

We could run Pat Forceia against her and win. She's as wacky as Alan Quist, and about as popular, too.

The Repubs are on the run in MN after the 2004 results. The DFL is on the rise, and has the momentum. If we can just carry it for another 20 months, we'll win in 2006.

[SupormomFreeAtLast]

6. I love your optimism No Name No Slogan eom

[northernsoul]

7. Patty will beat Bachman like a rented mule

Yeah, the 6th is pretty conservative and all - but I think that when they've got a choice between Patty Wetterling (sane) and that stark raving lunatic, they'll do the right thing.

[CatholicEdHead]

8. Yecke is now offically in

http://wcco.com/localnews/local_story_058134838.html

"Yecke Expected To Jump Into 6th District Race

Feb 27, 2005 12:46 pm US/Central
Anoka, Minn. (AP) And then there were five.

Former Minnesota Education Commissioner Cheri Pierson Yecke put her name in the running for Congress on Sunday, becoming the fifth Republican to announce for the 6th Congressional District seat. GOP Rep. Mark Kennedy, the incumbent, will campaign for the U.S. Senate instead of seeking re-election in 2006.

Open seats don't come along very often, which explains why Yecke and her rivals are already angling for the party endorsement. It won't be conferred for more than a year, but the courtship of delegates is in full swing. No Democrats have formally entered the race for their party's backing.

The 6th District stretches from the St. Cloud area across the northern Twin Cities suburbs to the Stillwater area. It includes all or most of Anoka, Benton, Sherburne, Stearns, Washington and Wright counties.

Yecke, 50, was forced out of the education post in May when the DFL-led Senate voted against her confirmation. Looking out over a crowd of relatives, friends and other supporters gathered at an Anoka American Legion hall, Yecke described that vote as a blessing in disguise.
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[no name no slogan]

9. I hope she keeps writing for the Strib

because she sounds even more wacky after each one!

Wow, if all the Repubs can muster are reactionary flat-earthers, the 6th will be a cakewalk.

[CatholicEdHead]

10. Grams upset

with this "king-making". He is calling for Eiberstiener to leave his post.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/5278147.html

"Pawlenty endorses Kennedy for Senate; Grams protests
Dane Smith, Star Tribune
March 8, 2005 ROD0308


Gov. Tim Pawlenty today became the latest Republican leader to endorse U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy for the GOP U.S. Senate nomination in 2006, while former U.S. Sen. Rod Grams unleashed a scorching attack on the party hierarchy for "kingmaker stuff" and "third-world politics" in attempting an early coronation of Kennedy. Grams also is a GOP candidate for the seat.

Pawlenty said he is endorsing Kennedy because he is "the James Brown of Minnesota politics, the hardest-working man in Minnesota politics." At a news conference with the congressman at GOP headquarters in St. Paul, Pawlenty also said Kennedy is clearly the best in the field and is "an A-plus candidate who is ready to go."

Kennedy rejected criticism that he is moving too early and is bringing top-down pressure to secure the nomination. He said he has been talking to hundreds of delegates and activists, and has rounded up plenty of grass-roots backing, as well as support from party leaders. He said he has more than 500 committed activist supporters and said that 95 percent of the people he has asked for support have given it to him.

In his comments, made before word of the Pawlenty-Kennedy news conference, Grams further called for state Republican Party chairman Ron Eibensteiner to be thrown out for allegedly breaking the tradition of pre-endorsement neutrality by party chairs.

"We had a King George, and we threw him out; the delegates should throw King Ron out," Grams said. "Why do we even want to go through having caucuses and electing delegates to conventions next year?" Grams said, arguing that a lack of competition would de-energize the activist base that's critical to winning elections. "The delegates should be outraged and throw this bum out."

Eibensteiner told the Star Tribune last week that "it appears right now that the Republican endorsement is a fait accompli. There's no race." But he said today that is not an official endorsement, and that he hasn't and won't endorse anyone until the party's convention is held in the summer of 2006.
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