Ramstad to retire
(Update 3:13 p.m.: Ramstad announces retirement.
(Updated 12:24 p.m.: Tom Scheck's GOP source and one of my DFL sources have now both confirmed that Jim Ramstad is announcing his retirement at 3 p.m.)
Jim Ramstad has scheduled a 3 p.m. announcement for today. He describes it as a major announcement for his future. So ... what are the possibilities? * Announces intention to run for U.S. Senate -- Not bloody likely * Announces intention to run for governor -- Three years ahead of time? Nah. * Announces his retirement from Congress * Announces he's leaving the Republican Party (remember: some of the heavy hitters mediawise called him a "bedwetter"). * Announces he's running for re-election. I don't recall him calling a "major announcement" news conference before, so it's unlikely that's the point here. I've called my usual suspects and one has claimed to know that Ramstad is retiring. But it's by no means confirmed.
Let the speculation begin!
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If the seat is coming open, it'll be hard over the next week to keep track of all the announcements.
The DFL has not put up serious candidates against Ramstad in years. So who might consider getting in? Without any information at all, here's one I'll toss out: Andrew Borene. Borene was running for the Senate 41 District seat in 2006 and was considered one of the rising DFL stars (that means he's a military veteran AND a member of the DFL Party), until he had a domestic assault incident, after which he said he would undergo treatment for alcoholism.
For the GOP? Here's the Votetracker list of current office-holders. Check the Districts in the 40s. There are a ton of good lawmakers there on both sides of the aisle who would make attractive candidates.
(Update 12:46 - MNPublius has some candidate speculation.)
This race will scare the Republicans. Legislative seats have turned over in the district in recent years and the hard-core Republicans might not rally around the -- OK, I'll say it again -- "bedwetter" positions (that is, a moderate old-style Republican) that the District favors.
For more on this, check out Truth vs. the Machine, where Gary Miller writes...
Jim Ramstad is the embodiment of everything I loathe about RINOs. He’s a SOB. But he’s OUR SOB and losing Ramstad would almost certainly mean losing this “first ring” seat. Congressional majorities are comprised of true believers and heretics. Congressman Ramstad is a card-carrying member of the latter but his departure would make it that much more difficult to regain the Speaker’s gavel in the next few election cycles.
FMI
Going Deep with Rep. Jim Ramstad and His Critics on the Iraq War (Twin Cities Daily Planet - 8/20/07)