2006 Minnesota's 6th congressional district election
The 2006 Minnesota's 6th congressional district election was an election for the United States House of Representatives. State senator Michele Bachmann of the Republican Party defeated child safety advocate Patty Wetterling of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, and project co-ordinator John Binkowski of the Independence Party.
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| Elections in Minnesota |
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Republican convention
Received nomination
- Michele Bachmann, state senator[1]
Withdrew
- Jay Esmay, businessman[2]
- Phil Krinkie, state representative[2]
- Jim Knoblach, state representative[2]
- Cheri Yecke, former Minnesota Commissioner of Education[3]
Campaign
During the Republican convention, Bachmann and Krinkie both portrayed themselves as conservatives, while Knoblach emphasised his supposed electability.[2]
Democratic convention
Received nomination
- Patty Wetterling, children's safety advocate; mother of Jacob Wetterling[4]
Withdrew
- Scott Mortensen[3]
- Elwyn Tinklenberg, former Mayor of Blaine[5] (endorsed Wetterling)[5]
General election
Candidates
- Michele Bachmann (Republican), state senator[1]
- Patty Wetterling (Democratic-Farmer-Labor), children's safety advocate; mother of Jacob Wetterling[4]
- John Binkowski (Independence), project coordinator for Johnson Controls[6]
Campaign
Wetterling had previously run for the seat in 2004 against Mark Kennedy, and was widely regarded to have had a strong showing that year.[1] Bachmann, who was considered a staunch conservative, had strong support from the conservative wing of the Republican Party.[7] The resignation of Florida Republican Mark Foley after allegations that he sent sexually suggestive messages to underage congressional pages boosted Wetterling's campaign, as it highlighted an issue that she was very visible on.[1] Wetterling also ran numerous ads about the scandal, claiming that the allegations proved that Republicans were not fit to control the house.[8] Bachmann proceeded to accuse Wetterling of politicising child abuse, a claim that was criticised by Clara Jeffery, editor-in-chief of Mother Jones.[9] The race broke Minnesota records for spending on a House of Representatives election, with a total of $4.6 million being spent.[10][11]
Debates
| 2006 Minnesota's 6th congressional district general election debates | |||||||||||||||
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| No. | Date & Time | Host | Moderator | Link | Participants | ||||||||||
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee |
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| Michele Bachmann | Patty Wetterling | John Binkowski | |||||||||||||
| 1[12] | September 26, 2006[13] |
P | A | P | |||||||||||
| 2[14] | October 27, 2006 |
P | P | P | |||||||||||
| 3[15] | November 1, 2006 |
Kerri Miller |
P | P | P | ||||||||||
Endorsements
- Executive officials
- George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States[16]
- Dick Cheney, 46th Vice President of the United States[17]
- Karl Rove, White House Deputy Chief of Staff[17]
- State officials
- Phil Krinkie, state representative[2]
- Jim Knoblach, state representative[2]
Polls and ratings
The election was considered highly competitive, in early October, CQPolitics.com rated it as "No Clear Favorite".[1]
Polling
| Source | Date | Wetterling (D) | Bachmann (R) | Binkowski (I) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star Tribune Minnesota Poll | October 21, 2006 | 48% | 40% | 4% |
| Reuters/Zogby | October 4, 2006 | 43% | 46% | |
| SurveyUSA | September, 2006 | 41% | 50% | 5% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michele Bachmann | 151,248 | 50.05 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Patty Wetterling | 127,144 | 42.07 | |
| Independence | John Binkowski | 23,557 | 7.80 | |
| Independent | Write-ins | 239 | 0.08 | |
| Total votes | 302,188 | 100.00 | ||
References
- Horrigan, Marie (October 2, 2006). "Scandal Raises Profile of Wetterling's Top Issue In Minn. 6". The New York Times. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- Pugmire, Tim (May 6, 2006). "Bachmann wins GOP endorsement for U.S. House in 6th District". MPR News. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- Scheck, Tom (June 14, 2005). "Tinklenberg enters 6th District congressional race". MPR News. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- "Patty Wetterling: "Jacob has been found and our hearts are broken," KARE reports". Northland News Center. September 3, 2016. Archived from the original on September 4, 2016. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
- McCallum, Laura (May 14, 2006). "Wetterling wins 6th District DFL endorsement". MPR News. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- Croman, John (October 10, 2006). "Are third party candidates relevant?". KARE. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
- Baxter, Charles (September 24, 2006). "A Campaign in Crisis Mode". The New York Times. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- "Democrat Candidate Flays Congress GOP". CBS News. Associated Press. October 7, 2006. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- Jeffery, Clara (October 8, 2006). "Patty Wetterling: A Voice of Conscience on Foley Scandal and Child Abuse (And Why You Should Call Power Line's Scott Johnson)". Mother Jones. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- Black, Eric (November 23, 2007). "Bachmann wins most-expensive race". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- Pugmire, Tim (November 8, 2006). "Bachmann retains 6th District seat for GOP". The Current. KCMP. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- Scheck, Tom (September 27, 2006). "The Daily Digest: 9-27-06". MPR News. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- Black, Eric (September 26, 2006). "The case of the vanishing no-show". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on March 18, 2007. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- Blanchard, Courtney (October 30, 2006). "Candidates debate in front of cameras". Minnesota Daily. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- Collins, Bob (November 2, 2006). "God not choosing sides in 6th, Bachmann says". MPR News. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- "Bush campaigns for Bachmann". MPR News. August 22, 2006. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- Vlahos, Kelly Beaucar (July 31, 2006). "Minnesota House Race Pits Two Women Whose Politics Couldn't Be More Different". Fox News. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- Scheck, Tom (September 25, 2006). "The League of Conservation Voters endorses Ramstad and Wetterling". MPR News. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- Scheck, Tom (October 18, 2006). "SEIU running radio ads on behalf of Wetterling". MPR News. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- "Minnesota Secretary of State, Election Results for 2006 General Election, 6th Congressional District". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved March 28, 2021.