Updated: 10/15/2009 8:14 PM KSTP.com | Print |  Email
By: Becky Nahm

6th District Candidates Raise Money at Record Pace

There are indications Minnesota's 2010 6th congressional race will be among the most expensive and closely watched in the country.

The candidates are raising money at a record pace and the incumbent, Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann, was on the front page of the New York Times Thursday.

Required campaign reports filed Thursday showed Bachmann raised $345,000 in the quarter ending Sept. 30. That gives her a stockpile of $617,000 with more than a year to go, more than the incumbent had at this point in 2007.

But the two Democrats vying to take Bachmann on are also raising money at a more rapid clip than her past opponents. Dr. Maureen Reed has $311,000 in the bank and State Sen. Tarryl Clark has $270,000 at the ready.

All sides expect the figures to multiply.

Larry Jacobs of the University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute said the New York Times article on Bachmann will likely bolster fundraising efforts for both Bachmann and her opponents.

Jacobs said, "It's possible that the 6th district race could bring in $10 million or more because you're going to have Michele Bachmann up against a Democrat. Republicans are going to want to support Bachmann to the mat and the Democrats are absolutely foaming at the mouth to take out Michele Bachmann."

Bachmann and her chief rival spent more than $5.7 million in the last campaign and outside groups kicked in another $1 million independently.

The Associated Press Contributed to this report.