MN 2nd: Sarvi faces formidable task in challenging Kline

As expected Steve Sarvi secured the DFL endorsement on Saturday in the Second Congressional District. The Army sergeant and former mayor of Watertown was unanimously endorsed by delegates after challenger Peter Idusogie dropped out of the contest. Sarvi will face three-term Rep. John Kline.

The incumbent has proven a formidable opponent in the Second. Two years ago Kline bested Coleen Rowley by a robust 56-40 margin, despite the best climate for Democratic candidates in three decades. In 2004 he defeated Burnsville City Council member Teresa Daly by an almost identical margin.

There’s been some early grumbling about Sarvi’s lackluster fundraising. In the first quarter of 2008 the challenger raised $115,000, leaving him with just $38,672 in the bank. Kline, by contrast, had just over a half-million dollars cash on hand. Sarvi is leaving his job as city administrator of Victoria this week to campaign full-time, which should bolster his fundraising prospects.

The seven-county district is generally seen as more friendly to Democratic candidates than the Sixth District, represented by Michele Bachmann. In 2006 Amy Klobuchar outpolled Mark Kennedy by a 53-43 margin in the Second, while beating her opponent by just four percentage points in the Sixth. Two years earlier President Bush secured a nine-point victory in the Second, but cruised to a 15-point landslide in the Sixth. What’s more, with the special election victory of Kevin Dahle in January, DFLers now control a majority of state legislative seats in the Second.