The 2006 Minnesota's 6th congressional district election was an election for the United States House of Representatives. State senator Michele Bachmann of the Republican Party defeated child safety advocate Patty Wetterling of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, and project co-ordinator John Binkowski of the Independence Party.
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Republican convention
Received nomination
- Michele Bachmann, state senator[1]
Withdrew
- Jay Esmay, businessman[2]
- Jim Knoblach, state representative[2]
- Phil Krinkie, state representative[2]
- Cheri Yecke, former Minnesota Commissioner of Education[3]
Campaign
During the Republican convention, Bachmann and Krinkie both portrayed themselves as conservatives, while Knoblach emphasised his supposed electability.[2]
Democratic convention
Received nomination
- Patty Wetterling, children's safety advocate; mother of Jacob Wetterling[4]
Withdrew
- Scott Mortensen[3]
- Elwyn Tinklenberg, former Mayor of Blaine[5] (endorsed Wetterling)[5]
General election
Candidates
- Michele Bachmann (Republican), state senator[1]
- John Binkowski (Independence), project coordinator for Johnson Controls[6]
- Patty Wetterling (Democratic-Farmer-Labor), children's safety advocate; mother of Jacob Wetterling[4]
Campaign
Wetterling had previously run for the seat in 2004 against Mark Kennedy, and was widely regarded to have had a strong showing that year.[1] Bachmann, who was considered a staunch conservative, had strong support from the conservative wing of the Republican Party.[7] The resignation of Florida Republican Mark Foley after allegations that he sent sexually suggestive messages to underage congressional pages boosted Wetterling's campaign, as it highlighted an issue that she was very visible on.[1] Wetterling also ran numerous ads about the scandal, claiming that the allegations proved that Republicans were not fit to control the house.[8] Bachmann proceeded to accuse Wetterling of politicising child abuse, a claim that was criticised by Clara Jeffery, editor-in-chief of Mother Jones.[9] The race broke Minnesota records for spending on a House of Representatives election, with a total of $4.6 million being spent.[10][11]
Debates
| 2006 Minnesota's 6th congressional district general election debates | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date & time | Host | Moderator | Link | Participants | ||||||||||
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee | |||||||||||||||
| Michele Bachmann | Patty Wetterling | John Binkowski | |||||||||||||
| 1[12] | September 26, 2006[13] | P | A | P | |||||||||||
| 2[14] | October 27, 2006 | P | P | P | |||||||||||
| 3[15] | November 1, 2006 | Kerri Miller | P | P | P | ||||||||||
Endorsements
- Executive officials
- George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States[16]
- Dick Cheney, 46th Vice President of the United States[17]
- Karl Rove, White House Deputy Chief of Staff[17]
- State officials
- Jim Knoblach, state representative[2]
- Phil Krinkie, state representative[2]
Polls and ratings
The election was considered highly competitive, in early October, CQPolitics.com rated it as "No Clear Favorite".[1]
Polling
| Source | Date | Wetterling (D) | Bachmann (R) | Binkowski (I) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star Tribune Minnesota Poll | October 21, 2006 | 48% | 40% | 4% |
| Reuters/Zogby | October 4, 2006 | 43% | 46% | |
| SurveyUSA | September, 2006 | 41% | 50% | 5% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michele Bachmann | 151,248 | 50.05 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Patty Wetterling | 127,144 | 42.07 | |
| Independence | John Binkowski | 23,557 | 7.80 | |
| Independent | Write-ins | 239 | 0.08 | |
| Total votes | 302,188 | 100.00 | ||