Which election results surprised you? Why?

I'm completely amazed to see Gil Gutknecht - sp? and now I don't have to worry about it - lose his district. I thought that seat was incredibly secure - secure enough that he brought in some prominent national Republican leaders. I wonder if that was his mistake, or whether he is just a victim of circumstances. For those not familiar with him, this is a Rep. who notiriously said AIDS is not contageous.

That Tammy Lee didn't do better than 20%. Alan Fine got his 20% that he was going to get whether the race was controversial or not. People in that district are dedicated to the party no matter how bad the candidate.

Keith Ellison will be the most close watched Representative in the the state and the most under reported on by the local mainstream media.

I wonder if the DFL'ers will re-nominate him in two years?

Pretty savvy with the spelling, there, Ron - you're actually correct. Gutknecht had a history of easy wins and initially who *wouldn't* have thought that seat secure? Then the reports came in that he was facing a tough challenge from Walz. Think the trouble for Gil was his long-term status fighting against his opponents freshness and general appeal? Walz looks like a regular guy: a high school teacher/coach and a former National Guard member.

You know, Gary, I was surprised Tammy Lee didn't do better as well. [looking for the links... patience, patience] She caught the attention of some Republicans and Democrats and wasn't she the person who really used Internet video to an advantage?

Wonder if we'll see more of her...

I was a bit surprised by Ellison's wide-margin win, too. Tammy Lee actually ran a great campaign and I think she will be back.

I have to tell you that at my polling place Wendy Wilde was only 20 votes shy of Jim Ramstad. Most people are very surprised to learn that given that Ramstad was the clear winner early on. Other races weren't necessarily so relatively close between the two major parties in my neighborhood, so I think it speaks well of Wilde herself.

I was surprised that Michele Bachmann won, but probably shouldn't have considering that little $500,000 fundraiser Mr. Bush threw in her behalf (which wasn't even held in her own district), not to mention the profitable visits made by Karl and Dick (again - not in her district).

It's over. Julia, I'm just surprised that it's over.

I can breathe again.

However, I'm surprised that Gottwalt won by 12% over Diane. I supported Gottwalt in my own way as a republican, I still can do a few little things. He at least is smart, he replaces Knoblach who was a GOPer.


But oh my god Gottwald was a spokesman for the Diocese of St. Cloud.

Tammy Lee, back as a Democrat? Independent? Green? What race? Think the Dems will be looking for someone to run against Ellison in two years?

Jim Ramstad has got that spot locked up for as long as he wants it. I liberal Republican in that district is hard to beat.

Wetterling had a ton of outside money too. She lost because of her issues or lack of issues. Once you get past the child advocacy experience, she wasn't very proficient on the issues. Once you get by the warm feeling and respect for her work, she didn't know enough about the issues. Bachman is polorizing, but she knew the issues and came accross that way.

What's Patty Wetterling's political future?

What's Mike Hatch's political future?

How many times can you run?

Politcal futures of Dean Johnson, Gil Gutneckt, Collen Rowley, Mike Erlandson, Matt Entenza, Judy Dutcher, Patty Anderson, Remember the Ember Reichgot Jung?

Is Al Franken your guy to run against Coleman?

"at my polling place Wendy Wilde was only 20 votes shy of Jim Ramstad" - Thanks for the inside scoop, Diana!

That's RIGHT, Rick. He was actually on a/the review board about the priest abuse allegations, right?

Gary, not sure about Tammy Lee... and it is hard to say about political careers in general. Some people just plain don't give up. Sometimes it pans out (can anyone say Lieberman didn't really, really, really win by forging ahead?) and sometimes it doesn't.

Well there's this about that -

ST. CLOUD, Minn. - After months of behind-the-scenes activity, Bishop John Kinney is expected to approve a new sexual abuse policy for the St. Cloud Diocese in the coming days and implement it July 1.

Kinney and the lead person on the policy changes, the Rev. Marvin Enneking, vicar general, declined to comment ahead of the announcement. Members of the Diocesan Review Board, which helped craft the policy, also agreed not to talk about specifics until they are announced.

But Steve Gottwalt, a spokesman for the diocese, said the draft he viewed ``has significantly more detail to it and is touching on more areas'' than the current policy, created in 1991.

The 11-member Diocesan Review Board was formed in October to monitor the diocese's compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The charter was adopted at the June 2002 meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Kinney said he wanted the review board to hold the diocese's ``feet to the fire'' once the policy is in place.

Therefore I would say no! He didn't appear to be on the review board but as spokesman he read the report before it was made public, which because he was the spokesman he was the one that made it public.

Julia, I guess "Gutknecht" was burnt into my gray drive, even if it wasn't being stored in my short term memory. Also, I work with names a lot, especially Scandinavian, Slavic and Germanic ones.

I am just disappointed that Bachmann won...I mean WHAT were the voters in the 6th district THINKING??

She's bat-shiat crazy...

Although I was hopeful that Walz would defeat Gutknecht, I was still surprised. Although Walz did not carry Faribault or Martin counties, I think that I persuaded my lifelong Republican relatives there to vote for Walz.

I was disappointed but not surprised that Bachman won (and agree with Onan).

"disappointed but not surprised that Bachman won" speaks my mind. I don't think Wetterling has ever been a strong candidate. No matter how nice or correct she may be, she does not come across in soundbites as a fighter - and realistically, soundbites are all most voters hear, whether we like that or not.

Thanks for the clarification Rick. Dare we assume that role was good training for the heat of politics?

Ron I'm not going to try to spell Gutknecht again... oh look! *grin* Walz might be one to watch. Stephen M., will you keep track of him? I bet your relatives will, esp if you convinced them of that vote!

But did the result surprise you Onie? Ron made an interesting point about Wetterling's campaigning abilities.

What didn't surprise me?

That Hatch lost.

That's 20 years without a DFL governor in a state that can elect Klobuchar & Pawlenty and Wellstone & Grams at the same time. Recycling the next old-school politician with seniority isn't working...

Minnesota Democrats are boring

I was suprised by Ellison's wide margin. And Hatch's loss.

Well Julia, Gottwalt was also on the St. Cloud City Council for several years, as well as lately I've seen him siting with the Stearns County board of Supervisors and not on the City Council.

He's very good, fair and very bright as I have seen over the years