Posted on 09/18/2007 3:28:37 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad's surprise announcement Monday that he will not run for re-election sets the stage for the hottest congressional race in Minnesota next year.
More than a dozen prominent Republicans and Democrats are expected to seriously consider taking a once-in-a-generation opportunity to run for an open seat in the politically competitive 3rd Congressional District, which consists of the northern, western and southern Hennepin County suburbs of Minneapolis.
For now, it will be the only open congressional seat in the state in 2008, and although Republicans have held the seat for decades, Democrats have been gaining ground there in recent elections.
Ramstad, 61, a moderate Republican from Minnetonka, has represented the district since 1990.
"My passion for serving people remains as strong as ever, but after 17 years of commuting every week to Washington, 17 years of being gone all week, it's time to be home with the people I love and miss," he said Monday at a news conference in Minnetonka. "I'm burned out. I'm tired. I still have the passion for policymaking. I still have the passion for politics. But I want to be home."
Within hours of Ramstad's announcement, at least five potential candidates said they are considering running, and party activists identified nearly a dozen more possible contenders.
On the GOP side, Republican National Committeeman Brian Sullivan and state Sens. David Hann, Warren Limmer and Geoff Michel all said they are thinking about entering the race. Republican insiders said others who may run include former state Sen. David Gaither, state Rep. Erik Paulsen and Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek.
On the Democratic side, Hubert "Buck" Humphrey, the grandson of Minnesota's most famous senator, said he was strongly leaning toward running. "My gut tells me to go," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at twincities.com ...
This district has been trending away from the GOP, though they still hold the edge. If Humphrey is the DemocRAT nominee, he’ll have star power working for him.
Another seat to contend with losing.
Surprisingly though MN rejected HHH, Jr., once or twice.
Not necessarily. Skip Humphrey was resoundingly defeated not once but twice for governor.
So we really did “Skip” Humphrey.
And not surprisingly, the Red-Star Tribune praised the moderate Republican Ramstad for not giving in to the radical forces of evil that control the national party.
Translation: 68.6 lifetime ACU rating = media’s kind of Republican.
17 years of being gone all week, it’s time to be home with the people I love and miss,”
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Horsefeathers. I suspect he wants to be Governor.
With the right candidate, we should hold it.
You’re getting Young Buck confused with his dad Skip. Skip would be a little old (he’d be 67 in 2009) to be embarking on a career in Congress. His dad was only 66 when he died in office in the Senate in ‘78.
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