GOP seeks jolt to Senate race against Dem Franken
BRIAN BAKST, ASSOCIATED PRESS
STORDEN, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Republicans have suffered 13 defeats in 14 statewide races over the last decade, often after nominating staunchly conservative candidates.
So the man who hopes to topple Democratic Sen. Al Franken in November is embracing a lot of ideas that many in the GOP are fighting fervently to kill. He supports an immigration overhaul with a path to citizenship. He says President Barack Obama’s health care law must go, but he wants a replacement that replicates some of its goals.
Mike McFadden is a former investment banker and political newcomer. He opposed last fall’s federal government shutdown and often laments “extreme partisanship.” He’s even gone so far as to cast himself as “a right-center Amy Klobuchar,” a reference to Minnesota’s popular two-term Democratic senator known for working across the aisle.
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http://www.salon.com/2014/07/21/gop_seeks_jolt_to_senate_race_against_dem_franken/
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GOPer Leans Left Trying To Topple Al Franken
By BRIAN BAKST Published JULY 21, 2014, 8:40 AM EDT
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Democrats are already scrutinizing McFadden's investment banking background in the same way the national party took on Mitt Romney's past business dealings in 2012. And they've pounced on his nuanced reaction to the Supreme Court's decision that lets companies deny contraception coverage on religious grounds, a ruling he praised while calling for over-the-counter birth control.
Franken's razor-thin victory in 2008 makes him a tantalizing target in the GOP's efforts to gain the six seats needed to take control of the Senate.
For now, Franken has escaped the barrage of negative ads aired by outside groups that have put red-state Democratic incumbents under siege, including Louisiana's Mary Landrieu, Arkansas' Mark Pryor and North Carolina's Kay Hagan.
Franken's own television ads — more than $100,000 worth per week since early May — feature the incumbent or citizens he's helped talking matter-of-factly about his efforts to connect factories with skilled workers, regulate compound pharmacies or tighten Wall Street lending practices.
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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/gop-looks-for-jolt-against-franken
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