A 3 way race in the 6th?

On my way home from work last night, I spoke to a few bloggers and other party insiders about the growing race in the 6th.

The story originally broke over at Dump Bachmann earlier this week. One side of the DB story has been verified. Elwyn Tinklenberg has joined the DFL endorsement race in the 6th CD.

Minnesota Campaign Report is covering the story as well!

The other side of the DB story was that Bob Hill would drop out of the race. At this time, it's only a rumor, but DB had the story at least a day before anyone in the mainstream media.

There may be something to it.

I was caught off guard by Tinklenberg entering the race. I took his statement in May 2007 to mean that he was not running for Congress.

Elwyn Tinklenberg, a former state transportation commissioner, said he has decided against seeking the DFL Party endorsement in the 2008 race for Minnesota's 6th District congressional seat. Tinklenberg had said in March that he was considering another run for Congress. But he told the St. Cloud Times last week that he's decided against seeking the DFL endorsement because it's too soon after his last campaign. Tinklenberg lost the party's endorsement for the 2006 election to Patty Wetterling, who was defeated by Republican Michele Bachman.

I feel a bit of irony here. Wetterling came into the 6th CD campaign after promising she wouldn't, after she left the US Senate race.

Tinklenberg, his campaign, and his supporters were livid that Wetterling "broke a promise".

Activists across the 6th have been seeking out a candidate who can send Congresswoman Bachmann back to Stillwater on a more permanent basis. It's been a long process and we have found a candidate to rally around and support, Bob Olson.

Tinklenberg is playing the same cards Wetterling did in 06, and activists in our area are not happy. It appears to many of us that its another case of the DCCC pushing a candidate upon the voters of the 6th. I'm not happy about that either!

Did the bridge collapse "push" Tinklenberg to reconsider is motives in the 6th?

It will be interesting to see all of this unfold over the coming months.