When you campaign on promises to be an independent, fiscally responsible representative in Congress, voters will typically hold you to it. That’s why it’s no surprise to see Republican Randy Demmer continuing to gain momentum in his race to unseat Democrat/Pelosi Loyalist Tim Walz. In just the few short years he’s represented Minnesota’s First Congressional District, Walz has all too often sided against the best interests of constituents and backed the reckless Pelosi/Obama agenda.
Whether it was supporting national Democrats’ takeover of healthcare, the jobs-killing, tax-hiking Cap-and-Trade bill, or what has been described as the “most fiscally irresponsible budget in the history of the federal government”, one thing is clear – Walz is not fit to remain in Congress.
With non-partisan political handicapper Charlie Cook shifting the prospects of this race towards the GOP earlier this month, the party line votes taken by Walz are not the assets he thought they would be. The people are ready to send a message to Democrats in Washington and can cast their ballots for a hard working, responsible alternative to the reckless path they’ve been led down so far. A vote for Demmer is a vote to fire Tim Walz and Nancy Pelosi, and to get Minnesota back to work.
As a quick reminder – the NRCC will be posting race results as they happen on Tuesday. Be sure to follow the NRCC on twitter for breaking news as races are called on Election Day.
Original Post (07/30/2010):
With the political environment turning toxic for Democrats, a Congressional seat in Southern Minnesota is moving towards a GOP pick-up opportunity.
Minnesota’s First District sits along the Iowa border and stretches westward from the Mississippi River bluffs to South Dakota. The district is largely rural, but includes the city of Rochester, home to the world-renowned Mayo Clinic. In recent years, this seat has become something of a bellwether, with both parties giving the district a great deal of attention. In 2006, despite the Republican incumbent’s loss, GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty carried this district and, in 2008, Republicans won a plurality of the district in the state’s three-way Senate contest.
Incumbent Tim Walz is typical of the Democrats’ freshman class of 2006, acting like an independent Democrat when home in southern Minnesota. However, once his feet touch the ground in DC, Walz gladly rubber-stamps the reckless Obama-Pelosi agenda – supporting their liberal agenda 97% of the time. In the past year alone, Walz cast two major votes on legislation that shows just how out of touch he is with his constituents. The first came in the summer of 2009 when Walz proudly voted for the National Energy Tax, which would hit Minnesota’s farm families square in the wallet with higher production costs. This was followed by his support for both versions of the government takeover of healthcare, completely ignoring the effects it would have on the thousands of healthcare employees that have built impressive institutions like the Mayo Clinic.
Challenging Walz this year is state Rep. Randy Demmer. As a former farmer and small businessman, he is all too familiar with the damage that the Walz-Pelosi agenda is inflicting on rural America. While Walz has only proven to talk about fiscal responsibility, Randy is ready to do more than just talk, by fighting for hard-working taxpayers. In the state legislature, he has been a champion for education and creating jobs through made-in Minnesota renewable fuel. He is aided in his efforts by the fact that he represents a portion of Rochester in the state legislature – a crucial “must-win” population center for both parties.
Compared to his state-wide performance of 54%, Barack Obama won this district with just 51% of the vote. Couple that with a Cook PVI Rating of R+1, and MN-01 can be brought back to the Republican column with the right candidate. Randy has worked hard as he prepares for November, building a solid campaign structure and earning a Contender designation in the NRCC’s Young Guns Program in his bid to give voters a conservative alternative to Tim Walz.
You can find out more about Randy and help him in his fight for the people of Minnesota’s first by visiting his website. You can also follow Randy on Twitter and Facebook to stay updated with this promising candidate.
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