A quick look: Red, Blue and local politics

The Minnesota Independent reports that the DCCC has designated both Steve Sarvi (running against Republican John Kline in the 2nd Congressional District) and Elwyn Tinklenberg (running against Republican Michele Bachmann in the 6th) as candidates for targeted seats, promising a big financial boost to the two DFL campaigns. Iraq vet Ashwin Madia (running for the seat vacated by Republican Jim Ramstad in the 3rd) was already on the list.

Madia's opponet, Republican Erik Paulsen, got a boost from Stu Rothenberg, an inside-the-Beltway pundit who called Paulsen's answer to a question about immigration "spectacular." According to MN Blue, "all we get from Rothenberg is that Paulsen answered one question spectacularly. We don't get the actual answer to that spectacularly answered question but merely a summary."

The unabashedly partisan MN Blue contacted Ashwin Madia's office. Finding that Rothenberg had not contacted them at all, MN Blue dismissed his conclusions: "Given his ignorance we are supposed to trust his astute judgment because he is a well-known Washington pundit who is too lazy to do even the slightest amount of research ... into one of the hottest races in the country."

The Minnesota Independent also has a story about strange stuff on Sauk Rapids Republican Rep. Dan Severson's web site – and conveniently reproduces the bloody movie clip in question, in case it disappears from the Severson site.

According to Bill McGaughey's post in the E-Democracy forum, Stephen Williams of Austin, Minn. was endorsed for U.S. Senate at the Independence Party convention this weekend, winning the nomination over McGaughey and Kurt Anderson. McGaughey wrote that he is sure Jesse Ventura would win an IP primary, if he chose to run, and that " most of us would welcome that event." The Independence Party also endorsed DFL candidate Elwyn Tinklenberg in the 6th Congressional district.

Michael Cavlan, who ran as the Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate in 2006, narrowly missed getting the Green Party endorsement for a Senate run at the Green convention June 7-8. According to the Green Party Web site, Cavlan announced at the convention that he would run as an independent if he did not receive the endorsement.

The Green Party has endorsed Colin Lee in MN House District 36A, Allan Hancock in MN House District 46B, and Farheen Hakeem in MN House District 61B.

Mary Turck

Mary Turck is the editor of the TC Daily Planet.