Sarvi to Challenge Kline in 2008

Former Watertown Mayor and Iraq veteran Steve Sarvi will challenge Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., in the 2008 congressional elections.

“Minnesotans want a representative in Washington who listens to their concerns, knows how to bring people together to solve the many challenges we face at home and abroad, and will fight every day to get things done for our state,” said Sarvi in a statement. “I have fought for our nation on many battlefields, and now I’m ready to fight for our district, our state and our nation in Congress.”

Sarvi will face an uphill battle against three-term incumbent Kline, who won reelection easily in 2006.  Kline has been a strong supporter of the Iraq war, saying in an April Town Hall meeting that General David Petraeus “deserves the opportunity for our troops and our soldiers to succeed, and we should not make it illegal for our troops to win.”

Sarvi, a DFLer, stepped down as mayor of Watertown to serve a 16-month tour in Iraq with the Minnesota National Guard.  He also served in Kosovo in 2004.  He is currently serving as the city administrator for Victoria, and is married with three children.

“I am very proud to have served my country in Iraq,” said Sarvi. “Our district deserves a representative in Congress who will put the safety of our troops and the well-being of our families ahead of blind party loyalty. I want to provide the new leadership and courage that we need in Congress to change course in Iraq and make our sure our district becomes a safer and fairer place for our families at home.”

Read moreKline first won election in 2002, defeating Rep. Bill Luther, DFL-Minn.  He won re-election by wide margins in 2004 and 2006, in what is considered one of the safest Republican seats in the state.  Still, Sarvi’s service in Iraq could help him level the playing field, allowing him to advance a moderate anti-war position without being labeled as unpatriotic or anti-military. 

The Kline campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

While Sarvi calls for a change in policy, he does not call for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq.  In an interview with Minnesota Monitor, Sarvi said, “I don’t advocate ‘cut and run.’”  But he said it was important to put Iraqis in charge of their own reconstruction.

“They really want to be their own country,” said Sarvi.  “They don’t want to be influenced by anyone.”  He said that while there was Iranian influence in Iraq as well as the obvious American presence, that by and large the Iraqis wanted control of their own affairs.

Sarvi said there was still a role for the U.S. in Iraq.  “There continues to be a need to finish the job of training the [Iraqi] military,” he said, adding that training was going forward at a frustratingly slow pace.

“It’s real difficult over there because their soldiers are not like ours, because they don’t sign a contract to serve.  They have to get paid in cash, and often times they bring the money home and they don’t come back.  And they’re fighting this war as well too, of course, and getting wounded and killed.” 

Sarvi said that his unit “tried really hard to make the place better when we left than when we got there,” and that he thought that they’d done so.  But he didn’t think the U.S. occupation could last at its present level forever.

“Our presence in Iraq is probably going to be necessary for a while, but I’m concerned about this comparison with South Korea,” he said, referencing President Bush’s previous comments on American involvement in the Middle East.  “They don’t want us there any more than we need to be there.”