Clark To Run Against Cravaack In 8th District

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) -- After trying unsuccessfully to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann in an expensive contest last year, former Democratic state Sen. Tarryl Clark said Sunday she is planning another run for Congress -- but this time from another district.

Clark said she is running in Minnesota's 8th Congressional District. The seat is now held by freshman Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack, who defeated 18-term Democratic incumbent Jim Oberstar last November.

"There's too much at stake to sit on the sidelines," Clark said in a news release announcing her candidacy. "Minnesota deserves a voice in Congress that will stand up for ordinary families who have been left behind."

Clark told the Duluth News Tribune (http://bit.ly/mddKLl ) that she and her husband, Doug, bought a condo in Duluth and she plans to file papers to run against Cravaack next year.

Clark ran against Bachmann in what became the most expensive U.S. House race in 2010. She lost but got about 40 percent of the vote in the 6th District.

Clark said she and her husband will keep their house in St. Cloud because her husband works there. But she said she will spend a lot of her time at the condo in the neighboring 8th District.

With redistricting under way, Clark noted that it's possible St. Cloud and Duluth may end up in the same district.

"There's no (district) lines yet, and we just can't wait for people to be figuring this out," Clark told the Duluth News Tribune. "I really believe the important lines are about fighting for our families and sticking up for people."

Cravaack's spokesman, Shawn Ryan, said Sunday that Cravaack is looking forward to "a spirited campaign" and "engaging whoever the DFL decides to nominate." Cravaack hasn't announced yet whether he'll seek re-election, but before he began his term he said he'd like to serve three or four terms.

Don Bye, the 8th District DFL chairman, said Clark should be a formidable candidate.

"She ran a credible race against Michele Bachman," Bye told the Duluth News Tribune. "She will be one of the most serious candidates."

Bye also said he doesn't see residency as an issue.

"She's living as close to the district line from one side as Chip Cravaack is from the other side," he said.

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