note: Thinks gays are so dangerous, she was actually photographed while spying on them from behind the bushes. This is one woman.

Sixth District: Bachmann coasts to GOP nomination
State Sen. Michele Bachmann, who out-organized her GOP rivals to win the party's nomination for a House seat, described herself as "a woman on a mission."
Eric Black and Dane Smith

Last update: May 06, 2006 – 7:45 PM

State Sen. Michele Bachmann thanks delegates

State Sen. Michele Bachmann thanks delegates for the GOP endorsement for the open Sixth Congressional District seat Saturday.

Jason Wachter, Associated Press
Politics

MONTICELLO, MINN. - Plowing through a field that included two of the Legislature's most prominent leaders, state Sen. Michele Bachmann easily captured the Republican Party's endorsement and almost certainly its nomination for the open U.S. House seat in the Sixth Congressional District.

No matter whether children's safety advocate Patty Wetterling or former Blaine Mayor Elwyn Tinklenberg wins the DFL nod next week, the Bachmann nomination will set up an intriguing November matchup of potential national importance.

Bachmann, who won in part by mobilizing Christian conservatives, told the delegates on Saturday that she is "a woman on a mission" for an end to abortion, for gun rights, veterans benefits, oil drilling and road building, and against United Nations control over U.S. actions in the world.

She promised to offer voters "a clear choice" of a "vision of freedom," saying Democrats have a "philosophy of economic central planning" that could lead to "totalitarianism."

The word "totalitarianism" was a quote from a Ronald Reagan speech of the 1960s, said Bachmann, who has a history of infuriating and energizing liberals with such word choices.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Jen Pshaki said Bachmann's "focus on her own extremist agenda renders her unqualified to serve Minnesota in Congress."

"She's a very polarizing figure, no question about it," Sixth District GOP Chair Dan Nygaard said. "She's gonna raise the passion on both the sides of the race, as she has in all of her races." He added that she has won all the races.

Outcome never in doubt

On the third ballot, Bachmann cleared the 60 percent level required for endorsement. State Rep. Jim Knoblach of St. Cloud had 21 percent support on the third ballot, state Rep. Phil Krinkie of Lino Lakes had 10 percent and businessman Jay Esmay had 7 percent.

Bachmann had 56 percent on the first ballot, and the outcome was never in doubt. After the third ballot, she was nominated by unanimous voice-vote acclamation in a show of unity.

She had to overcome three obstacles: the resentment of party regulars who felt pushed to the sidelines by her new recruits; questions about the electability of such a potentially polarizing figure, and Krinkie's arguments that he was the more tenacious conservative on fiscal matters.

In the end, Bachmann simply out-organized her adversaries and showed up with the most troops.

"She ran a perfect endorsement contest," said Knoblach delegate Joel Carlson, a lobbyist and former legislator. "At my caucus, there were fewer party regulars and a huge turnout of church-based social conservatives" who came out for Bachmann.

Support from Christian right

Bachmann's smashing win is a testament to the power of social conservatism in Republican circles and of the Stillwater senator's ability to draw first-timers into party politics, many of them from fundamentalist Christian churches.

She is best known for high-profile efforts on social issues important to the religious right. She broke into state politics by leading the successful effort to abolish the Profile of Learning, a set of public school standards that conservatives viewed as promoting secular humanism.

Bachmann is spearheading the effort to get a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

Typical of Bachmann's delegates were Jon and Julie Larson, who attend Living Word Christian Church in Brooklyn Park. They home-school their children, believe in the literal truth of the Bible and reached what Jon called their "awakening" about seven years ago.

They attended precinct caucuses for the first time this year because they were concerned about "a continued erosion of values" in American society, Jon said.

"Every vestige of God has been removed from our statehouse, from our schools, and these values are the basic foundation of our country," he said.

A GOP-friendly district

The Sixth District runs across the top of the Twin Cities area, from the Wisconsin border to St. Cloud. Its congressional seat is open this year because incumbent Republican Rep. Mark Kennedy is running for the U.S. Senate.

The Sixth is considered Republican-leaning; it was President Bush's best Minnesota district in 2004. But in a year when the political winds are blowing into the face of the GOP, Democrats consider it their best shot in Minnesota, and among the best shots in the nation, to pick up a seat. National Journal's hotline lists the district as number 20 on its list of the 25 hottest House races.

Wetterling, who starts with strong name recognition and a reservoir of public sympathy, would provide Sixth District voters with a fairly stark liberal-conservative choice. Tinklenberg, who is moderate to conservative on social issues such as abortion, will argue at next Saturday's endorsing convention that he is positioned to portray Bachmann as an extremist.

Bachmann's rivals pledged not to challenge her in a primary.

eblack@startribune.com • 612-673-7294 rdsmith@startribune.com • 651-292-0164

Here's hoping that the good citizens of Minnesota's 6th District recognize her for the extremist she is, and vote for the other guy/gal.

It will either be Wetterling or Tinklenberg. Tinlenberg wouldn't hestitate to go after her, Wetterling will run a campaign on the issues and avoid personal attacks. This one is going to be ugly.

For Sen. Bachmann, gay marriage debate is all in the family
PATRICK CONDON
Associated Press

ST. PAUL - No other state lawmaker has been more outspoken against gay marriage than Sen. Michele Bachmann, who for more than two years has led the effort at the Capitol to reserve the institution for heterosexual couples.

So when the Senate Judiciary Committee heard the Stillwater Republican's constitutional amendment against gay marriage Tuesday, it was perhaps no surprise that some of her family members were in the audience. But one surprise was where one of them was sitting - alongside fellow opponents of the ban.

Bachmann's stepsister, Helen LaFave of Minneapolis, is a lesbian. She did not testify at the hearing, in which senators rejected Bachmann's measure, but she said afterward that she felt it important to be there.

"I came to the hearing because it's a very personal issue," said LaFave, who was joined by her partner and several other family members. "Michele's been very out in front on it, and at some point I wanted to bear witness on what she's doing that's so personally hurtful to me and so many others."

LaFave's father married Bachmann's mother about three decades ago, LaFave said. She said the two stepsisters still see each other occasionally at family functions, but are not close. She said Bachmann has known for years that she has a gay stepsister, but that the two have never discussed Bachmann's legislative efforts on the issue.

"I've mailed her two letters about the issue, but she never responded," said LaFave, who up until Tuesday had never publicly come forward on the issue. She was invited to attend the hearing by the gay-rights group OutFront Minnesota.

The two did not speak or interact at the hearing. But Bachmann said afterward she wasn't bothered by LaFave's presence.

"I love my sister, and I'm really glad she's here with her partner," Bachmann said. "We obviously disagree on this issue, and in that we're not unlike many other families."

Bachmann said the nine siblings and step-siblings united by their parents' marriage are split on the issue. "The vote is 6-3 in our family," she said.

You can't expect her to ave time to respond to EVERY stepsister that writes to her on this issue!

What a piece of.......work! See, I can behave, I said work!

Why is do you suppose that the person who's always carrying the banner seems to be doing it because of "personal" issues in their family?