by Nomad
For seven years, Michele Bachmann has held Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District seat. In that time she has unintentionally amused and often horrified the rest of the country with her antics. Since her announcement that she would not be seeking re-election this year, the field is now wide open now for the state's most conservative district.
What chances do Democrats candidates like Jim Read, have? A glance at the Republicans in the race tells us that it all depends on whether Minnesota voters are looking for a change or just Bachmann's clone.
Reading Jim Read
On January 24th, Jim Read, 55, from Avon, Minnesota,
declared his candidacy for Michele Bachmann's district. The district, the most
Republican-leaning of Minnesota’s congressional districts, is up for grabs ever since Bachmann announced she would not be seeking re-election. For years, under the
Bachmann, the district has been under Republican Tea Party control. (Some might call it a form of witchcraft.)
Jim Read is, without much exaggeration, Bachmann's polar opposite. With a solid middle-class background, Jim Read wasn't born
with a silver spoon in his mouth. In high school, Read worked as bus boy and
dishwasher and later on a paving crew for the National Park Service in summer. That
work record is the kind of thing that appeals to Minnesotans.
On the other
hand, his educational background is nothing to snicker at (unlike Bachmann's Oral Roberts University degree.)
He then went on to graduate Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Chicago and then
went on to earn a Ph. D. in political science from Harvard University.
Since that time, Read has taught political science at the
College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University.
In addition to that, Read is the author of three books, including Doorstep Democracy: Face to Face Politics in the Heartland, an account of his door-to-door campaign for the Minnesota Legislature in 1992.
In addition to that, Read is the author of three books, including Doorstep Democracy: Face to Face Politics in the Heartland, an account of his door-to-door campaign for the Minnesota Legislature in 1992.
The crux of that book reveals Read's idea that "conversations between citizens concerned about their communities can get us beyond the television ads, mass mailings, and sound bites to rejuvenate American democracy."
Professional campaign organizers might not agree. The verdict is out but it's a nice thought. Relying solely on the common sense and maturity of the voters of District 6 could be a risky proposition. I mean, just look how they've voted in the past (an' stuff).
