For Minnesota's First Congressional District...

Tim Walz!

DFL: http://www.timwalz.org/
GOP: http://www.demmerforcongress.com/Home.aspx
Independence Party: http://www.stevenwilson.org/index2.php

Well, if I'm going to endorse for the Governor of my former state, then I might as well go the whole nine yards and endorse for my former Congressional district as well. Being a political science major, it was a trip and a treat to figure out just what made the politics of Minnesota tick- although it's debateable whether I managed that in three years in the Medium White North, I'm just the kind of person who when I find myself in a different place, feels a weird sense of civic responsibility to step up and learn about just who the heck is representing me.

That fact that for my first three weeks in Mankato, I was without roommate and television both also helped with that. Sheer on the inside of my apartment more or less forced me to explore the town and bits of the state around me and learn about just where I was. (I learned a lot.) When I arrived in the First District, it was on the cusp of a major change, which was evidenced by the excitement that was building up around then first time Congressional Candidate Tim Walz. Strangely enough, I ended up landing a job as a security guard at the high school he taught and coached at and the level of enthusiasm amongst the students, the sheer excitement and engagement that seemed the vibrate through the halls of that high school was something to see. That, more than anything convinced me to vote for him in 2006. If someone could inspire and engage young people that much, then they had to be worth listening to and voting for- and Tim Walz seemed to embody the independent spirit of the district that I was just getting to know.

Fast forward to 2008 and I landed myself a small internship with Congressman Walz's relection campaign. If he (or anyone with the campaign) happens to read this, I'd like to take the opportunity to apologize for being the world's WORST INTERN. Between taking my comprehensive exams (always terrifying for a grad student) and getting married I think I managed to eke out a pathetic 15 hours down at the campaign office that semester. Not exactly a lot of mileage for what was an amazing opportunity, but again, Congressman Walz impressed me with his dedication and his independent streak, which seemed to fit in well with the mindset of the district as a whole- again, I had no problems voting for him a second time.

And now, here we are. And I'm more than happy to endorse him for a third term in Congress. Despite the general cynicism that pervades public discourse when it comes to politicians- of which I myself am admittedly guilty in being part and party too from time to time, there are some genuinely dedicated public servants out there. Here in Iowa, former Congressman Jim Leach was one of them- whose independence and willing to buck his party line demonstrated that he knew where the real priorities were. Tim Walz is another: he embodies the best of independent leadership for Southern Minnesota, a dedicated public servant who (I get the sense anyway) seems to be more interested in doing what's right and effective, rather than what's popular. Whether as a Sophomore Democrat, he's got the clout to start bucking the party line with greater strength is an open question, but I think he's demonstrated thoughtful, dedicated, independent leadership these past four years and I'd urge the people of Southern Minnesota to elect Tim Walz to Congress again, because the more people like Walz we have in Congress, the better off we're all going to be.

(I know, I know: hardly a policy driven endorsement, but if you want some policy nuggets, let me throw these out there: He opposed the auto bailout, he's fought for pay-as-you-go rules for spending, supports the President's spending freeze but wants to go further and get a BiPartisan Debt Commission so that the National Debt can be tackled in a sensible way. He wants online accountability for earmarks, more domestic oil production, so we can use the royalty payments and savings from that to invest in green technology. You can't say he's Churchill, but you can say he's sensible. And sensible is good.)