Kurt Bills launches Senate bid vs. Klobuchar, eyes Paul backers

The Post Bulletin ^ | March 8, 2012

[Clintonfatigued]

A freshman state legislator joined a Republican field seeking a U.S. Senate seat Thursday, setting his sights on a robust Minnesota network for presidential candidate Ron Paul as a possible route to the party nomination.

State Rep. Kurt Bills announced his campaign on a busy intersection in Rosemount, just up the street from a high school where he teaches an early morning economics course before heading to the state Capitol each day. The former city council member said he'd make the nation's debt and deficit the focus of his campaign, though he wouldn't offer hints of how he'd solve it.

"Now I'll ask Minnesotans to send me 1,100 miles east to bring Econ 101 to Washington," Bills said with family members and supporters at his side.

Bills, a vocal supporter of Texas Rep. Paul, is the third serious competitor for the GOP nod. Former state Rep. Dan Severson and Iraq war veteran Pete Hegseth are also in pursuit of a party endorsement that will be decided in May; all three say they won't run in a summer primary without the endorsement. Frequent GOP candidates Bob Carney, Harold Shudlick and Jack Shepard are also in the race.

The winner will take on incumbent Democrat Amy Klobuchar, a first-term senator with consistently high approval ratings and a huge fundraising advantage.

[Clintonfatigued]

If he’s elected, Bills could form a caucus with Rand Paul. I wonder if he’ll be able to tap into Ron Paul’s fundraising network?

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Clintonfatigued.

...Iraq war veteran Pete Hegseth...

from Politico:

• Pete Hegseth's Princeton files -- Under his tenure about a decade ago, the Tory questioned the "distractions of diversity," lamented the racial storyline behind Halle Barry's Oscar win and likened homosexuality to incest and bestiality... Asked about the musings from 2002 and 2003 now, Hegseth carves out some distance, explaining that it wasn't his job as publisher to censor conservative voices.

[Impy]

I doubt some Paulbot is the best choice in MN. (with all due respect to Rand’s and paul-friendly Mike Lee’s good voting records in the Senate)

[MplsSteve]

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