CQPolitics.com:Biggest surprise: Minnesota Republican Michele Bachmann insisted her reputation as an outspoken social conservative put her right in line with voters in Minnesota’s 6th District, which reaches from suburbs of Minneapolis-St. Paul to the city of St. Cloud.
I thought the anti-Republican climate would seriously hinder Bachmann, as would the apparent strength of her opponent, Patty Wetterling. The Democrat ran a viable campaign in 2004 against the Republican incumbent, Mark Kennedy, who left the seat open this year for a Senate bid that failed.
Wetterling, well known for years as a child safety advocate who had suffered the personal tragedy of losing a son, also had gained visibility late in the campaign as a sharp critic of the Republican leadership’s handling of the Foley page scandal.
