The 2012 election year is young, but Democrats in Washington are making clear one line of attack they will use against Minnesota's most vulnerable member of Congress: Republican first-termer Chip Cravaack. And they did not let today's GOP presidential primary in New Hampshire go to waste, using it as a prop for a press release asking whether Cravaack will be taking part as a voter. It's something of an inside joke based on the decision last summer by Cravaack's wife Traci to move with their children to the Granite State, which is more convenient for her Boston-based job as an executive for a medical device company. "Congressman Chip Cravaack is eligible to vote in the New Hampshire primary so why shouldn't he vote in his new home state?" asked Haley Morris of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Cravaack, who upset veteran DFLer Jim Oberstar in 2010, has said he and his wife planned to divide their personal time between Minnesota and New Hampshire. His aides say he usually spends Saturdays in the district and Sundays with his family – either in Minnesota or New Hampshire. During the week, of course, he is in Washington, representing a district that may or may not include his North Branch, Minn., residence after a new redistricting map is approved.
