Parties focus on U.S.House race

Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune

Ashwin Madia, a lawyer from Plymouth, emerged the winner in the DFL’s congressional convention Saturday.

The race to succeed Rep. Jim Ramstad in the U.S. House has drawn interest at the national level. DFLer Ashwin Madia will receive aid from a Democratic committee, and a GOP program will assist his opponent, Erik Paulsen.

By MARK BRUNSWICK, Star Tribune

Last update: April 16, 2008 - 11:10 PM

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The DFL-endorsed candidate for Congress in Minnesota's Third District, Ashwin Madia, has been pegged for dollars and other assistance by a national Democratic committee.

The race to succeed the retiring Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad, expected to be one of the most hotly contested in the country, had already been chosen by national Republicans for special assistance to the presumptive GOP endorsee, Erik Paulsen.

Madia, an Iraq war veteran and first-time office-seeker who was endorsed on Saturday over Sen. Terri Bonoff of Minnetonka, was selected for inclusion in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Red to Blue program for open seats nationwide.

Madia is one of 11 Democratic candidates who have been selected for the program, which offers financial, communications and strategic support. It introduces new candidates to Democratic supporters in competitive districts to help in fundraising.

According to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the program raised nearly $7.5 million in 2004 for 27 campaigns, an average of more than $250,000 per campaign. In 2006, it raised nearly $22.6 million for 56 campaigns.

"Ashwin Madia's experience as a U.S. Marine serving in Iraq, commitment to protecting the middle class and his solution-oriented approach to government makes him an ideal candidate to move our country in a new direction," said DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., in a statement.

Last week, Paulsen, who is expected to receive his party's endorsement on Saturday, was included in a list of candidates who will be assisted by the Regain Our Majority Program 2008 (ROMP), which is overseen by House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. Much like the DCCC program, ROMP targets districts that are considered up for grabs or where incumbents need additional financial support.

This week, Paulsen reported that he raised $382,819 in the first quarter of 2008 and had nearly $690,000 in cash on hand. Madia's campaign raised $196,079.40 in the first quarter and had $190,538.16 on hand.

The Independence Party has endorsed printing company CEO David Dillon in the race, which includes the Twin Cities western suburbs.

Mark Brunswick • 651-222-1636

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