CQPolitics: U.S. House, Minnesota - 6th District Race (Bachman) now shifts to "Leans Republican"

http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000002976960&referrer=js

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The freshman Republican from Minnesota’s 6th District is suddenly in danger of losing her seat after she questioned whether Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama harbors “anti-American views” and called for an investigation into whether members of Congress are “pro-America or anti-America” in an interview last Friday on MSNBC’s program “Hardball.”

Bachmann’s remarks infuriated Democrats and turned the campaign of her opponent, Democrat Elwyn Tinklenberg, into an overnight cause celebre.

Tinklenberg, a former state Transportation secretary, had collected more than $810,000 between Friday night and Monday afternoon, after raising $1 million for the entire election cycle through the end of September.

“It’s hard to give a completely accurate number because the money keeps rolling in,” said Tinklenberg spokeswoman Kate Monson.

“We’re in the middle of a political earthquake here,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar , a Minnesota Democrat, said on Hardball Monday evening.

CQ Politics is moving its rating of the contest from Republican Favored to Leans Republican, a more competitive category.

Tinklenberg had shown signs of competitiveness before Friday, but Bachmann’s Hardball appearance transformed the dynamics of the race in a district she won 50 percent to 42 percent in 2006 with a third-party candidate taking 8 percent of the vote. There is no strong third party candidate running this year.