Archive for the 'CD2' Category

Page 2 of 2

Steve Sarvi and El Tinklenberg Get A Little DCCC Attention

Joining Ash Madia who has already garnered the DCCC’s attention and been added to their Red to Blue program, it was announced yesterday that Steve Sarvi and El Tinklenberg have been added to the DCCC’s emerging races list.  From the press release:

The DCCC also announced 20 emerging races. In each of these races, Democratic candidates have generated excitement in their districts for their campaigns for change:

Steve Sarvi (MN-02)

El Tinklenberg (MN-06)

Support Emerging Candidates on ActBlue >>

As these campaigns continue to develop and demonstrate increasing strength, candidates will have an opportunity to qualify for the Red to Blue program.

The Red To Blue program netted each of it’s members about 450K dollars in 2006 and if we can get Steve and El on there it will be a major coup — but they won’t get that attention without your help: donate to the Sarge here , and help El light the bulb here .

STEVE SARVI BLOG DAY PART 2

Earlier Matt put up our first post on Steve Sarvi blog day where he gave just the overview of Steve’s service to our country, Minnesota and to the Second Congressional district. (we also asked you to go here and donate a little bit of flow to him)

19 years in the military (including a stint in Iraq that he volunteered for!) and 13 years in government, including mayor of Watertown. Can we handcraft anyone better to run against Kline?

Steve Sarvi has the experience in the military to make sure that John Kline will never be able to challenge his patriotism and his service has been well documented among our friends in the blogosphere today (check out our first post on our partners in Steve Sarvi Blog Day) but what I think makes him exceptional is his commitment to communities in the Second Congressional district and southern Minnesota.

As Mayor of Watertown Steve Sarvi saw the importance of fiscal responsibility so he enacted city budgets that either kept city tax rates flat or declining (he lead the push for a new baseball complex in Watertown including a new grandstand that was paid for by park dedication funds rather than city taxes). He instituted Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) projects in Lanesboro and Victoria where he was city administrator to help existing businesses grow and add employees. Steve developed leadership partnership meetings with City of Mayer, Watertown Township and ISD 111 to jointly discuss and plan for future growth, as mayor Steve ensured planning for transportation, water/sewer infrastructure, and parks was done before allowing further development; coordinating city growth with school district and the township to manage the impact on these growing communities. Steve helped to create the Lanesboro Chamber of Commerce, as mayor and city administrator he worked to redevelope downtown Watertown with new landscaping, boardwalk, and street lighting and he obtained Small Cities Block Grant to update existing buildings in downtown Watertown. And he pursued new infrastructure, building new fire stations and water treatment plants in Victoria and Watertown.

What was all really wonky right? Water treatment plants don’t inspire the same pride in folks that volunteering for service in Iraq does. But it’s just as important and I think it’s a better reason to send him to Congress. Steve Sarvi understands the needs and concerns of the growing suburbs and exurbs in the 2nd in ways that John Kline can only hope to. Steve Sarvi will be an advocate for the people of the 2nd and Minnesota working hard for their needs — I think it’s safe to say that Steve Sarvi will be working for the people he represents instead of fluff like putting Reagan’s face on the $50 bill.

So, that’s your choice. Someone who has worked hard all his professional life for communities and towns like the ones you live in, or someone who refuses to work hard for you who instead of helping communities in the second with their needs and issues spends his time trying to put Ronald Reagan’s face on a bill that average Minnesotans are having a harder and harder time holding on to.

So, stop reading this, and go donate to him here. The only way Steve is going to get the national attention he deserves and he needs to knock off do-nothing John Kline is if you donate to him today. $10, $15, $20 do it now. Stop thinking “Oh, tomorrow I’ll donate.” “Oh, tomorrow I’ll volunteer.” And go sign up to volunteer for him now, and gosh darnit donate to him right now! See that picture up there? Think it looks good? Well the only way it’s going to happen permanently is if you help him. Steve’s sacrificed for you and the people of the communities he’s helped, I know these aren’t the best economic times, but he deserves a little sacrifice from you now.

STEVE SARVI BLOG DAY!

New Poll Shows Kline Can Be Beat

New polling data was released today in Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District where DFLer Steve Sarvi is taking on John Kline. The survey of four hundred registered, likely general election voters was conducted by Goodwin Simon Victoria Research on behalf of the Sarvi campaign from May 19-22. The poll’s margin of error is +/- 4.9%.

There is a bunch of good news in the poll. Lets start with the generic ballot:

DFL - 40%
GOP - 40%

Thats amazing for the 2nd CD. Also, President Bush’s job rating is 76% negative and 69% of district voters think the country is on the wrong track. Moreover, John Kline’s personal numbers are very weak. Kline’s job rating is 44% fair/poor to only 39% excellent/good.

The Sarvi campaign didn’t release top line results, which probably means that Kline has a significant lead. That’s not surprising given Sarvi’s limited name ID and the underlying Republican tilt of the district. The campaign did release, however, an informed ballot test (where they tell the respondant something about the candidates before asking the question). In this particular informed ballot question, Goodwin Simon Victoria Research told respondents something positive about Sarvi and said nothing about Kline. This led to a Sarvi lead of 49% to 37%.

Taken together, this proves what we have always thought about this race: Sarvi can win, but he’ll need help. Now would be an excellent time to make a donation!

Ash Gets Attention As Vets Run For Congress, Sarvi Left Out

Who is that handsome devil in the newspaper? It’s Minnesota’s own Ash Madia in a USA Today writeup of Iraq war vets running for congress. Ash gets his own bullet point as a targeted house race featuring a vet

Minneapolis suburbs: Democrat Ashwin Madia, a Marine, will take on GOP state Rep. Erik Paulsen, a former aide to retiring Rep. Jim Ramstad. Madia, a lawyer, worked with Iraqi officials to develop the country’s justice system.

Ash maybe the most dynamic candidate in the state right now, he’s been raising crazy bank and preparing for what looks to be a bruising campaign against Erik Paulsen.

Sadly Steve Sarvi isn’t mentioned anywhere in the writeup — it’s alright though as he the subject of a glowing write up from Paul Demko at MNMonitor.

Sarvi argues that Kline’s bedrock conservative ideology is out of synch with the district. A National Journal analysis of voting records earlier this year determined that he was the 20th most conservative member of the House of Representatives, the highest such ranking for a member of Minnesota’s Congressional delegation. “He’s really gone to Washington to support the agenda of the Bush administration,” Sarvi says. “His voting record supports that.”…

It’s also widely believed that DFL’ers have failed to mount credible, well-run campaigns against Kline in the last four years… In 2006 Democrats believed they had the ideal candidate in former FBI agent and Time Person of the Year Coleen Rowley. But she flummoxed political observers by failing to raise sufficient cash to seriously threaten the incumbent. “Rowley deliberately ran a sort of unusual campaign — and not the sort of campaign that usually wins elections,” says Steven Schier, a political science professor at Carleton College, which is in the district.

Colleen Rowley spent several hours a week holding a sign protesting the Iraq war on an overpass. True story. This is not the kind of campaign that wins elections. But what we’re hearing is that Steve Sarvi has been running the kind of campaign that does win elections and that his call time is going very well — here’s hoping for a good quarter (a quarter that you could make better by donating a little bit of money to him).

Steve Sarvi Gets Endorsements Like They’re Going Out Of Style

sarvi.jpgSteve Sarvi, the DFL candidate in the 2nd announced this week that he picked up a bunch of new endorsements.

Unions:

Teamsters Joint Council 32
Teamsters Local 120

UAW Minnesota

        Representatives:

        Rep. Betty McCollum (4)
        Rep. Keith Ellison (5)

        Steve’s campaign has also been endorsed by the national non-partisan VoteVets organization. He’s up for some fat bank to help him beat John Kline, but he needs your help. Vote for Steve Sarvi.

        Statistically the Second Congressional district is a pickup opportunity for the DFL, and Steve Sarvi is the strongest candidate we’ve had to take on do-nothing John Kline since 2002. There will be (and no, I’m not kidding this time) a write up of Steve and his experience not only in Iraq but also here at home coming on Tuesday. But before any of that can happen, vote for Steve Sarvi here!

        John Kline Weakest Representative In MN

        johnkline.jpgA company called Knowlegis, released a power ranking of the members of Congress, and something that probably won’t come as a surprise to constituents, John Kline is the weakest representative in the Minnesota delegation. Klein who is in his third term came in behind all three of Minnesota’s freshman legislators — including Representative Michelle Bachmann another Republican. And he came in almost two hundred spots lower than retiring Representative Jim Ramstad.

        The group includes earmarks in their rankings, and as we all know Rep. Kline has taken a sham principled stand against earmarks; but they also include their legislation, their position in congress and their indirect influence. And Representative Kline’s legislative record isn’t what anyone would call “extensive.

        The good news for anyone who wants better representation in the second, that Steve Sarvi is here to send Representative Kline into retirement. Steve’s got a new website up, and I think he’s just the beesknees so you should spare his staff and donate to him, or you could volunteer for his campaign.

        And I swear on Meatloafs grave that I will get my write up my interview with Steve up, God willing, this week (I have returned to college, and it’s made my ambition to write anything that isn’t class related go down the drain — and for this dear readers, I am humbly sorry).

        Steve Sarvi Launches Campaign Site

        Sarvilogo

        Minnesota’s next Congressman from the 2nd CD just launched his campaign website and the thing looks great. I’m told it’s just a teaser site until the whole thing gets up and running but, hey, if this is the teaser, I can’t wait for the real deal.

        For those of you not familiar with Steve yet, here’s a refresher: Steve has a record of 19 years of active military service including a tour in Kosovo and, most recently, Iraq. In fact, Steve stepped down as Mayor of Watertown in 2005 (he was elected in 2000 and reelected in 2004) in order to volunteer as Infantry Platoon Sergeant in the now famous “Red Bulls” unit (the longest serving combat brigade in Iraq) in the Minnesota National Guard. Among his awards and decorations are: The Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Kosovo Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Non Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, NATO Medal, Parachutist Badge, Minnesota Commendation Medal, and the Minnesota Good Conduct Medal. If that’s not enough to impress you, you can read about the task force he was selected to be the Civil Military Affairs Officer of that completed more than $400K in reconstruction projects for rural iraqis here.

        Excited yet?

        Weekend Odds and Ends

        3rd CD

        State Senator Terri Bonoff scored an impressive pickup in securing Vance Opperman’s support for her run in the 3rd. Opperman is arguably the preeminent rainmaker in Minnesota DFL politics and this is a major coup. After hearing Opperman make specific mention of Sen. Bonoff at a DFL event this evening, I asked him if he was supporting her and he said that he was.

        2nd CD

        Several years ago, a stocky history teacher/National Guard NCO came up to me at an event, handed me a small stone with a “Walz Rocks!” sticker on it, and told me about his run for the First Congressional District seat. I smiled and chuckled wishing him good luck, while the thought bubble said “He seems too nice to be the sacrificial lamb, oh well.” I learned my lesson then, and I will not be giving Steve Sarvi such short shrift. Just back from Iraq he’s in the race against John Kline and if he works as hard as Tim Walz did he will knock Kline back on his heels and give him a real challenge. Sarvi is having his first fundraiser and event next weekend and we’ll keep you updated as he takes Kline.

        Kline to face Iraq Vet?

        SarviI haven’t had time to post on this until now, but what a race this would be:

        In what could be an intriguing political matchup next year, a National Guardsman with 20 years in the service under his belt is likely to take on Second District GOP Rep. John Kline, a three-term incumbent whose 25 year career in the Marines has been central to his political profile.

        Sgt. 1st Class Steve Sarvi, who is demobilizing at Fort McCoy, Wis., this week after serving with the Minnesota Guard in Iraq, is leaning toward making the bid, according to his father, Al Sarvi.

        “There’s nothing official yet, but we’re all pretty excited about it,” the elder Sarvi said Wednesday. “Because he’s still in the service, he can’t file, collect money or look for support yet.”

        Working in Iraq since April 2006 on the Army’s reconstruction efforts, Sarvi, 42, is due to arrive home in Victoria on Friday and will be released from the service in a month, his father said. [Star Tribune, 7/18/07]

        As much as John Kline is very much a toe-the-line Bush Republican, the 2nd will be tough in 2008 no matter how Iraq looks at that point. That being said, I think running Sarvi there represents the best match I could even dream of. Given his recent tour and admirable record of service, Sarvi would be nearly impossible for Kline to challenge in his typically pro-military way. Moreover, vets have proven to be formidable Democratic contenders in GOP strongholds across the nation. One only needs to look to our very own 1st district to see an example of that success.

        Tip of the hat to Inside Minnesota Politics where you can find additional information on Sarvi, the above image, and listen to an interview with Sergeant.