ECM Editorial Board endorsement -- On the same day that Independence Party candidate Bob Anderson and DFL candidate Sen. Tarryl Clark met in Stillwater for a Sixth Congressional District debate, incumbent Rep. Michele Bachmann was nowhere to be found. Even though Stillwater is her home town, Rep. Bachmann could find no time to discuss district issues, but did find time to go on the Today Show. Two days later she was the guest on The Glenn Beck Program where she completed a lengthy interview with the conservative radio and TV talk show host.
There are countless other instances when our congresswoman has turned her attention to national interests and paid little interest, at least on the surface, to what is happening in her district. As one of the leading figures in the Tea Party movement and founder of the House Tea PartyCaucus, Rep. Bachmann has expanded her national platform even more, much to the Sixth District’s loss.
Rep. Bachmann’s repeated absence from the district is one reason that ECM Publishers chooses to endorse Sen. Clark for election on Tuesday, Nov. 2. The St. Cloud state senator was convincing in that she will be an advocate for people and needs of the district, not a national campaigner.
She is one of the Republican Party’s top rock stars, trailing only former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in national recognition. And Rep. Bachmann is a heavy hitter, too. She has raised more than $10 million in campaign contributions this year, raking in more than $5 million in the most recent quarter. And through MICHELE PAC, she has provided endorsements and campaign contributions to 46 conservative candidates from around the country, including U.S. Senate candidates Christine O’Donnell from Delaware, Rand Paul from Kentucky and Marco Rubio in Florida.
As editors from ECM newspapers that serve the Sixth District converged as an editorial endorsement panel to screen candidates in this election, we had hoped that the incumbent would grant an interview to assist the panel in its deliberation. Repeated attempts in late August and throughout September to schedule an interview were not successful. That was disappointing and the panel had no choice but to move on.
We understand that Rep. Bachmann has been part of the House minority, Still, in the four years that she has served in Congress she has authored only one piece of legislation that became law. Still worse, she has not supported important construction projects in St. Cloud and Stillwater — projects of great value in this district.
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