Tarryl Clark, Michele Bachmann. Photos: Clark for Congress, Bachmann for Congress (Flickr)

Dr. Maureen Reed’s decision to drop out of the DFL primary comes as positive news for the campaign of state Sen. Tarryl Clark campaign, as it will allow her to focus solely challenging Bachmann, especially in light of Bachmann’s current fundraising advantage. The campaign in the 6th is currently the fourth most expensive House race, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The DFL-endorsed candidate, Clark is supported by prominent Democratic politicians, so she was likely to win the primary even if Reed had not dropped out. But Reed’s withdrawal comes as Bachmann faces increasing criticism over her legislative record. AOL News recently reported that only two of Bachmann’s 17 congressional staffers were legislative aides, compared to three working on media relations. She has only introduced 18 pieces of legislation since January 2009, with only one successfully passing.

That news follows a recent Bachmann profile in The Washington Post, which included this telling comment:

Her only notable legislative triumph came in the adoption of a low-profile bill that has made technical changes to the obligations of merchants who deal with credit card and debit receipts. But Bachmann emphasizes that to focus on the passage of bills is to miss the whole point about her: She is in Washington, she says, to beat back government’s attempt to “eclipse freedom in people’s lives.”

Her attention on raising her media profile may not have won legislative victories, but it has bolstered Bachmann’s fundraising. In their last reports submitted to the FEC, Bachmann had raised $2.3 million with $1.5 million cash on hand, compared to $1.1 million for Clark, with only $600,000 cash left.

What is striking about those numbers is the source for each candidates’ donations*. Through March 31, Bachmann had 1,513 individual contributions from large donors (contributors of $200 and above), with over 55 percent of those coming from non-Minnesotans. Clark on the other hand had 742 large-donor contributions, but 80 percent came from within state. Even though Bachmann had almost twice as many total large, individual donations, Clark only had about 50 fewer of such contributions from Minnesotans.

With the DFL nomination sealed up, Clark should expect to begin receiving greater financial support from national Democrats. And her success at raising money from Minnesotans may be a sign that voters have become tired of Bachmann’s emphasis on out-of-state matters.

But while Bachmann’s lack of a legislative record opens her to criticism, Clark’s extensive record during her time as assistant majority leader in the Minnesota Senate provides plenty of ammunition for her opponent. This spring’s rough-and-tumble budget battle often put Clark in difficult positions, at one point serving as the tie-breaking vote on a measure to raise taxes. And though Bachmann’s political reputation is one of a far-right firebrand, the fact remains that she does represent Minnesota’s most conservative district, one that voted for John McCain over Barack Obama in 2008 53-45 percent.

Minnesota’s history of supporting third-party candidates could also shake up November’s election. Bob Anderson is the endorsed candidate for the Independence Party. Anderson ran as in independent in 2008 (the Independence Party cross-nominated the DFL candidate that year), and was able to draw 10 percent of the vote. With the official backing of Minnesota’s main third party, Anderson could see his share of the vote increase this election.

It’s unclear whether Anderson’s campaign poses more of a problem for Bachmann or Clark. Anderson’s center-right views would indicate that his supporters have more in common with Bachmann’s base. But he may end up siphoning off the “anyone but Bachmann” voters who would otherwise go for Clark.

(St. John’s University professor Aubrey Immelman, who ran as a Republican against Bachmann in the 2008 primary, is also running for the seat.)

With the amount of cash being pumped into the campaign for the 6th, as well as Bachmann’s prominence in the world of Fox News and conservative conventions, the race should receive continued national focus as November nears.

*This post originally omitted a distinction of the Federal Election Commission figures. The FEC statistics cited track donations larger than $200, not every individual campaign contribution. The language has been changed in the post to reflect that differentiation.

Maureen Reed. Photo: Reed for Congress, Flickr

Dr. Maureen Reed announced Sunday that she’s suspending her campaign for the DFL primary in August. Sen. Tarryl Clark will be the DFL challenger to Rep. Michele Bachmann along with Independence Party candidate Bob Anderson and independent Aubrey Immelman. In a statement, she said she bowed out when it became clear that Clark had more resources.

“It is with a heavy heart that I am suspending operations in my campaign for Congress in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District,” Reed said. “During the past few days, I have come to the conclusion that a prolonged primary fight only assists Michele Bachmann. The other DFL challenger, Tarryl Clark, has amassed more resources, and I feel that it is time for the DFL to unify behind one candidate in this race.”

Clark issued her own statement on Sunday thanking Reed.

“[I]t is because we possessed the common goal of restoring real representation and getting the people’s work done, that I am honored by and thankful for Maureen Reed’s endorsement,” Clark said. “Dr. Reed’s supporters and volunteers did a tremendous amount of work to help defeat Michele Bachmann in November, and I invite and encourage them to continue those efforts with our team.”

Listen:

“Michele Bachmann has not passed any legislation in her over three year tenure in Congress to create jobs. In fact, she has stood in the way, attempting to delay and obstruct bills that would create jobs and make a difference for the people of the district,” said Jason Isaacson, Reed’s campaign manager, in a statement Monday.

Isaacson criticized Bachmann for voting against the Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act, the Unemployment Benefits Extension bill and the Helping Families Save their Home Act.

“It is clear that Bachmann’s focus is not her district, but on her political ambitions,” Isaacson said.

Clark’s campaign said Bachmann was spending too much public money supporting events it says are campaign stops.

“Time after time, Michele Bachmann’s agenda is about promoting herself instead of doing anything to help her constituents,” Zach Rodvold, Clark’s campaign manager, said in a statement Monday. “And this time, Congresswoman Bachmann’s constituents are footing the bill for ‘jobs forums’ aimed at glossing over her dismal record on the most important issue in her district. So rather than paying for a series of forums to create or save jobs, her constituents are paying for a series of forums designed to save just one job: Congresswoman Bachmann’s.”

“I can’t help asking the question – ‘what was she thinking?’ – what good reason does Michele Bachmann have to hold her rally and event in Minneapolis, outside her district, when there are some world class venues located in St, Cloud, Blaine and Stillwater?” Jason Isaacson, Reed’s campaign manager said in a statement Tuesday. “In tough economic times, it would make sense that Michele Bachmann would show pride in where she lives and help residents and businesses benefit financially by scheduling her events in the district that sent her to Washington, D.C.”

The Reed campaign then suggested several large venues within the district.

Meanwhile, Clark’s campaign says it has raised $1.1 million so far with $500 raised in the last 3 months.

“Washington isn’t working for the people of the 6th District, and neither is Michele Bachmann,” Zach Rodvold, Clark’s campaign manager said in a statement. “It’s clear that folks have had enough of Congresswoman Bachmann and her relentless pursuit of her personal agenda. They’re ready for real leadership on the issues that matter – like jobs and the economy – issues Congresswoman Bachmann has neglected and obstructed. They’re lining up behind Tarryl Clark because they know she’ll stand up for the people of her district and deliver real results.”

Finally, the DFL party is planning to protest “against the ineffective Bachmann-Palin Tea Party Agenda” at the Bachmann fundraiser with Palin.

“[It's] the latest in each of their national travels to promote an agenda that has failed to offer any effective solution for Minnesotans during difficult economic time,” according a statement by the party.

Demonstrators will meet at 4 pm in front of the Minneapolis Hilton.

“On to the primary,” Reed told In-Forum. “We know that primary voters are a very different group of people than the people who attend the endorsement process.”

Reed’s campaign offered this tweet following Clark’s endorsement. “Thank you for all of your support at the Convention today- looking forward to a spirited summer of campaigning against Michele Bachmann!”

Clark and the DFL took swipes at Bachmann once the results were known.

“Our grassroots campaign has reached out to every corner of this district, and I’m proud to have earned their overwhelming support,” said Clark. “Today — together — we begin in earnest the fight to bring an end to Michele Bachmann’s agenda. Michele Bachmann is free to pursue her agenda on her own time, but no longer on the people’s dime.”

“For far too long, the people of the sixth district have had an absent, ineffective representative in Congress, while suffering the highest foreclosure rates in Minnesota,” said State DFL Chair Brian Melendez. “They deserve a leader who will work every day to bring jobs back to the sixth congressional district. Tarryl Clark is that kind of leader.”

Last weekend, Bachmann won the endorsement of the Republican Party of Minnesota.

Capitol Hill. Photo: WDCpix

Rep. Betty McCollum weighed in on the passage of health care reform on Monday, as did GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer and DFL congressional candidate Dr. Maureen Reed. Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota praised the passage of the bill, but reserved criticism for the White House over an executive order on abortion restrictions.

Rep. Betty McCollum:

“Tonight Democrats had courage to stand up for the real needs of America’s families. The real winners tonight are patients and taxpayers because their health care will become more affordable and accessible.”

Republican candidate for governor, Rep. Tom Emmer:

“Last night, President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and the Democrats in Washington made painfully clear to the American people they are not interested in listening to us. They rejected real market-based health care reform and they are congratulating themselves for passing more than a trillion dollars in new spending, half a trillion in new taxes, unconstitutional intrusions on personal and economic freedom, and unprecedented government funding of abortions. I have and will continue to fight for health care freedom for all Minnesotans and against this unconstitutional government takeover of health care.”

Candidate for Congress in the 6th Congressional district, Dr. Maureen Reed:

“Today, we applaud the courageous action the United States House of Representatives took by passing the health care bill, which is a historic step toward improving health care access in the United States. As we celebrate this important accomplishment, we must be cognizant that there is a long road ahead until we complete comprehensive health care reform.Keeping the historic improvements in access and coverage in mind, this bill falls far short in the crucial areas of payment reform and lowering costs. Currently we pay for our health care incorrectly. We pay for individual services at the back end of care instead of paying at the front end for prevention, coordination, and overall best care. Only when we address this core problem will we realize the savings we need to complete health care reform.”

Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota president Sarah Stoesz:

“Sunday was a truly historic day for the American people who have long demanded affordable, quality health care coverage.

“For more than a year, Planned Parenthood has worked tirelessly for a health care reform bill that would fix our broken health care system, strengthen women’s health, and achieve quality, affordable health care for all Americans. Monumental progress was made toward achieving these goals with the passage of historic health care reform legislation by the U.S. House of Representatives, despite a symbolic gesture, in the form of an Executive Order, to anti-choice Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI), which has diverted attention from the central goal of health care reform — controlling costs and extending coverage.

“As a result of this historic expansion of health care coverage to more than 30 million Americans, the doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals who work for Planned Parenthood health centers will be providing care to many more women, men, and families who will be seeking primary and preventive care.

“Planned Parenthood is also extremely pleased that members of the House listened to the millions of women and men who expressed their strong opposition to the Stupak abortion ban. Stopping the Stupak ban was a priority for women across the country who rejected the notion that they would not be able to even use their own money to obtain private insurance coverage for abortion. It was a tough fight, but we salute Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D- CA) and members of the House Pro-Choice Caucus, and all others who stood up for women’s health and women’s rights.

Earlier: Minnesotans react to passage of health care reform

Clark’s piece follows literature by Dr. Maureen Reed, who is also vying for the DFL endorsement to take on Bachmann this fall.

Clark’s piece touts her experience in the district and attacks Bachmann for not doing enough for constituents. See full-size scans of the literature at OutState Politics.

Reed’s campaign says, “since she’s not a career politician she can’t be attacked for raising taxes,” in a nod to moderates and independents, but she also gave a nod to progressives: “She’s the only candidate who supports a public option that competes with insurance companies and that includes measures to lower costs.”

OutstatePolitics.com has full screen grabs of the mailer.

Rep. Michele Bachmann. Minnesota Independent file photo

Late last week, Rep. Michele Bachmann’s Democratic challengers criticized her for her ambitious travel schedule and growing celebrity. The campaigns of Dr. Maureen Reed and state Sen. Tarryl Clark asserted that Bachmann’s busy media and speaking schedule has caused her to miss votes in Congress.

“Michele is not delivering for the people of the 6th Congressional District, but also not doing the job in D.C. — missing 11 percent of votes this session,” Reed’s campaign said Friday with the release of its “Where’s Michele?” map. Clark’s campaign released a map of its own and cited a Washington Post report from October 2009 that showed Bachmann has missed more votes than all but 10 members of the House. “It’s clear Congresswoman Bachmann’s priorities are chasing her national celebrity and pursuing her personal agenda – and those priorities come at the expense of her district,” the campaign said.

How accurate are these criticisms?

An analysis by the Minnesota Independent shows that Bachmann has missed more votes than any member of Minnesota’s congressional delegation in the 111th Congress — even after subtracting votes missed when Bachmann left to spend time with an ill family member. Twenty of the 47 remaining votes Bachmann missed occurred on days when the Sixth District Republican had media appearances scheduled. But while these media moments loosely coincide with her missed votes, it’s unclear whether her absences are directly linked to her ambitious travel schedule. Bachmann’s office hasn’t respond to the Minnesota Independent’s request to clarify this point.

Here’s a tally of votes not taken by Minnesota’s delegation:

Michele Bachmann: 47

Keith Ellison: 37

Betty McCollum: 35

James Oberstar: 17

Collin Peterson: 16

Erik Paulsen: 14

John Kline: 13

Tim Walz: 12

Bachmann’s total count for missed votes is officially 114, but many of these votes — 67 of them — occurred on a single weekend. For instance, on June 18, as the House was holding a record number of votes, Bachmann was out of town spending time with an ill family member. (Rep. Keith Ellison was attending his son’s graduation that day and missed the same number of votes; with those votes included, he missed a total of 90 votes.)

Missed votes with media appearances

In some instances, House votes seemed to directly conflict with Bachmann’s media schedule, while in others Bachmann’s missed votes occurred on days where she had one or several media events planned.

On Nov. 5, Bachmann missed a vote “Honoring and Recognizing the Service and Achievements of Current and Former Female Members of the Armed Forces” because of her appearance at the Tea Party House Call that she organized at the Capitol and was held at the same time. Bachmann missed the vote at 12:37 p.m., and her House Call appearance was from noon to 2 p.m.

On Nov. 4, Bachmann did not vote for the Expedited Card Reform for Consumers Act of 2009, which beefs up consumer protections in the credit industry. That same day she appeared on the Glenn Beck’s show to build support for her Tea Party event the next day. It’s the media appearance where she said, “Socialized medicine is the crown jewel. But tomorrow is our Super Bowl of freedom.”

On Nov. 3, Bachmann appeared on the Family Research Council’s webcast, “Government Takeover of Healthcare: Counting the Cost.” Bachmann also had an appearance on Fox and Friends in the morning and on Sean Hannity’s show that evening. Bachmann wasn’t present for a vote to oppose the United Nations’ fact-finding report from Gaza, but she did cosponsor it and send out a press release on its passage.

Bachmann missed a vote on Oct. 22 condemning the government of Iran for religious persecution against people of the Baha’i faith. The same day she was a guest on San Francisco’s conservative KSFO-AM, where she said, “When you talk about Obama, you just can’t not come up with jokes.”

On Oct. 7, she didn’t make two votes on the Agriculture Appropriations bill. That day she appeared on Bill O’Reilly’s show, where both postulated that ACORN may have stolen the Minnesota Senate race for Al Franken.

Bachmann warned of a link between the Census and Japanese internment camps during World War II in a Fox News interview on June 25, the same day she missed a vote on the Interior Appropriations bill. She had an interview on CNBC the same day.

Bachmann appeared on Point of View “Defending Faith Family and Freedom” Radio on July 9, and was not present for a vote for “Recognizing the Significance of National Caribbean-American Heritage Month” the same day.

On May 21, there was a lunchtime fundraiser for Bachmann held by the Gula Graham Group. Individuals paid $250, and political action committees $1,000. That same day, Bachmann missed 10 votes.

On May 13, Bachmann was not present for a vote but had a press conference about ACORN with former ACORN employee Anita MonCrief.

Bachmann had an appearance on Fox Business Live on Feb. 10, the same day she missed a procedural vote.

Other dates that Bachmann was not present to vote: Jan. 26, 2010 (two votes), Feb. 3, 2010 (one vote), Feb. 24, 2009 (5 votes), April 2 (one vote), May 20 (nine votes), June 4 and 15 (5 votes), Sept. 17 (one vote) and Dec. 11 (one vote) and had no media appearances on those days.

The Minnesota Independent contacted the National Taxpayers Union to get a sense of how absences impact politics. NTU has in the past criticized Congress members for missing votes in order to campaign — and with a national media appearance every nine days, Bachmann seems to be in campaign mode. Pete Sepp, vice president for policy and communications, told the Minnesota Independent that legislators should not get paid for times they aren’t at work.

“Unlike many other things that Congress must vote on, this is an individual choice each representative can make without having to wait for clearance from an ethics committee, or a floor vote, or any other kind of procedure,” he said. “All they need to do is dock their own paychecks.”

Sepp stopped short of criticizing Bachmann’s record (the NTU has awarded Bachmann the Taxpayer’s Friend Award), but did note that representatives can request a “leave of absence” which officially excuses them from a vote.

“It’s important to remember, though, that some of Rep. Bachmann’s absences may have been excused by the Speaker in the Congressional Record,” he said.

According to the Congressional Record, Bachmann has requested two leaves of absence since she was elected to office: In mid-June when her stepmother was ill and at the end of May when her father-in-law passed away.