Former Minnesota state Sen. Tarryl Clark (D), who ran unsuccessfully against Republican star Congresswoman Michele Bachmann in 2010, is now setting her sights on Congress again — in the neighboring district of freshman GOPer Chip Cravaack.
Cravaack won a major upset victory in the historically Democratic 8th District against a longtime Dem incumbent, Rep. Jim Oberstar, winning by a 48%-47% margin. In the more Republican 6th District, Bachmann defeated Clark by 53%-40%. In that race, Clark raised $4.6 million for her effort to unseat a GOP lightning rod.
As the Duluth News Tribune reports, Clark is buying a home in the 8th District, though in fact her current hometown is near the border and could potentially end up being drawn in there after redistricting is done. But she is taking no chances on that score:
Clark and her husband, Doug, have purchased a condominium in Duluth where she will spend “a good chunk” of her time during the campaign, she said. They will maintain their residence in St. Cloud, Minn., where Doug Clark works. St. Cloud is just south of the 8th District border with the 6th District, where Clark won about 40 percent of the vote in her battle with Bachmann.
Clark, a former state senator, noted that redistricting is under way, and it’s possible St. Cloud and Duluth would be part of the same district. “There’s no lines yet, and we just can’t wait for people to be figuring this out,” she said. “I really believe the important lines are about fighting for our families and sticking up for people.”
