MANKATO - In a swath of Minnesota that's not politically safe for either party, the race to oust freshman U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., is heating up.
So far, the campaign has been overshadowed by the historic and dramatic presidential campaign season, but it's gaining steam as Republicans prepare to endorse a candidate Saturday at their First District convention in Albert Lea.
Two of the contenders, state Rep. Randy Demmer of Hayfield and Mayo Clinic doctor Brian Davis, have agreed to support whomever the party endorses.
But with greater name recognition, a rebel attitude attractive to some voters and more money than his opponents, state Sen. Dick Day is waiting in the wings.
Day, of Owatonna, is skipping the GOP endorsement process and running in the September primary.
"He's banking on there being a bigger slice [of voters] in the middle than the other candidates think there is," said Darrell Downs, chairman of the Political Science Department at Winona State University.
While Day is the assumed front-runner in a primary, according to some leaders in both parties, he isn't wringing his hands about not going after the Republican endorsement.
'A nice, clean campaign'