New ads target Cravaack on Medicare

The ad wars in the 8th Congressional District continued this weekend with the announcement that Americans United for Change plans to spend “five figures” on a television ad campaign targeting four members of the House who voted for Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget proposal. The ad buy targets Rep. Chip Cravaack for backing the measure, which includes drastic changes to Medicare through a voucher system for private insurance. Cravaack is also being targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, but he’s got defenders: The conservative 60 Plus Association has bought ads of its own.

Ads target Cravaack, Bachmann over Medicare vote

Minnesota U.S. Reps. Michele Bachmann and Chip Cravaack are the targets of radio ads by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee over their votes to “end Medicare.” The ad buy is extremely small and is part of the DCCC’s “Drive to 25″ campaign, an effort launched in January with the aim of gaining back the 25 seats the Democrats need to win the House in 2012.

Bachmann tries to make bank, Mondale and Wetterling pen appeals for Clark

Former Vice President Walter Mondale sent out a fundraising appeal Tuesday on behalf of 6th Congressional District challenger Tarryl Clark. An additional money pitch was dispatched by Patty Wetterling, who unsuccessfully ran against Michele Bachmann for an open House seat…

Tinklenberg v. Bachmann redux? DFLers already eyeing 2010

Democrats are once again salivating at the prospect of taking on Rep. Michele Bachmann in 2010. But the flamboyant legislator has proven a redoubtable opponent in a congressional district that skews heavily Republican.

Paulsen’s stimulus claims show political prevaricating didn’t stay in Vegas

False political smears involving Las Vegas? You’d think U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen wouldn’t want to go there after being on the receiving end of a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ad last year that took a tortured, six-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon route to link…

DCCC vastly outspending GOP counterparts in House contests

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has so far spent $42 million this election cycle on House contests, compared to just $8 million doled out by the National Republican Congressional Committee, according to a new study by the Campaign Finance Institute. The huge…

Tinklenberg added to DCCC target list

Elwyn Tinklenberg has been added to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Red to Blue list of targeted House races. The DCCC list now includes 63 candidates across the country, including Third Congressional District challenger Ashwin Madia.

“El Tinklenberg has worked hard to make his race competitive, and he’s moving into position to win,” said DCCC chairman Chris Van Hollen in a statement announcing the decision. “With a solid campaign organization and strong momentum in the district, El Tinklenberg has proven that he has what it takes to defeat Rep. Michele Bachmann.”

The other Iraq war veteran: Steve Sarvi fights for respect in Congressional contest

Steve Sarvi first met Rep. John Kline in 2004, at Camp Bondsteel in southern Kosovo. The staff seargent was serving with the Minnesota National Guard, patrolling the border with Macedonia for smugglers. The then-freshman congressman was on a…