Businessman Jim Graves, the Democrats' latest best hope of unseating Minnesota Republican Michele Bachmann, was put on his national party's "emerging races" list Wednesday, a sign that they hope to make the race competitive in the fall. "It's a vote of confidence in our ability to win in November," said Graves' campaign manager Adam Graves. The designation signals interest from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the political arm of congressional Democrats. But it is still a step short of putting Graves in the DCCC's "Red to Blue" program, which could bring more money and logistical support from Washington. Graves has yet to prove himself a prolific fundraiser, but past polling shows the Graves campaign within striking distance of Bachmann, who enjoys a more Republican district than before it was redistricted after the 2010 census.
