Congressional races

Before your correspondent slipped out the door and left the Republicans to absorb the ramifications of Election '08, I wandered around to collect the impressions of some of the folks at the GOP's post-election party in Bloomington.

It was a night that KARE-11 political analyst Dave Schultz, just after midnight, suggested might prove, "on balance, not a bad night for the Republicans." And that was the feeling that was detectable on the ballroom floor at the Sheraton Hotel.

Yes, the party's candidate for president went down in a defeat of historic magnitude. Incumbent U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman was destined to have a long night ahead of him. He might lose; he might win. (There were even hints that there might be an automatic recount in that race.)

But things were looking up for 3rd District candidate Eric Paulsen, and even better for 6th District incumbent U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, whose lead over El Tinklenberg was widening. (DFLer Tinklenberg finally conceded at 12:33 p.m.) Second District U.S. Rep. John Kline had already won. Bottom line, the Minnesota GOP might not lose any of its House seats.

Not exactly a bullet dodged. But hardly a mortal wound.

A study in contrasts.

Right at 10 p.m. at tonight's Republican Party election celebration at Bloomington's Sheraton Hotel, GOP Chairman Ron Carey and Gov. Tim Pawlenty got a roomful of Republicans rocking.

"We've got a lot to be thankful for tonight," Carey told the crowd, which had already been shaken out of its earlier doldrums by news that U.S. Rep. John Kline had easily retaken his seat. Carey predict other victories would be coming in the next hours.

Carey made the house explode when he told the party faithful that the numbers they were seeing on the big-screen TV sets in the corners of the room, which showed the U.S. Senate race deadlocked between U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman and DFLer Al Franken, were wrong.

"When we look behind the scenes at where the votes are coming from, this is very similar to 2006," Carey said. "Were looking at the counties and the areas that haven't come in yet and we're very encouraged by the fact that we're at where we're at when we have a lot of really strong Republican areas yet to report."

The place really lit up when he announced that Rep. Michele Bachmann was running ahead of Elwyn Tinklenberg with Wright County and Sherburne County showing almost no returns. "There is reason for cautious optimism there, as well."

The first quarter fundraising numbers are in for Minnesota's eight Congressional races, with U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN6), U.S. Rep. Tim Walz (DFL-MN1), and newcomer Erik Paulsen (R) emerging as the big winners. Bachmann's and Walz' success comes as no surprise as their respective parties seem ready to pull out all the stops in securing the freshman incumbents' return for a second term. Paulsen seems to have caught fire in a Republican race where he is the lone name; his nearly $400,000 raised has surely caught the attention of the Democrats.

Candidate	1st Quarter Raised	On Hand	FEC Link
Tim Walz DFL CD1	$352,044	$1,503,236	Link
Randy Demmer R CD1	$13,803	$83,979	Link
Dick Day R CD1	$16,233	$203,387	Link
Brian Davis R CD1	$34,491	$198,592	Link
John Kline R CD2	$194,106	$833,985	Link
Steve Sarvi D CD2	$61,108	$104,843	Link
Erik Paulsen R CD3	$382,819	$429,494	Link
Terri Bonoff D CD3	$167,387	$472,137	Link
Ashwin Madia D CD3	$196,079	$357,245	Link
Betty McCollum DFL CD4	$105,472	$372,362	Link
Keith Ellison DFL CD5	$198,535	$715,747	Link
Michele Bachmann R CD6	$345,644	$1,554,988	Link
Bob Olson D CD6	$21,834	$79,350	Link
Elwyn Tinklenberg D CD6	$126,925	$260,077	Link
Collin Peterson DFL CD7	$50,050	$723,328	Link
Jim Oberstar DFL CD8	$164,707	$1,178,489	Link