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Cravaack Holds Hastily Called Duluth Town Hall

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) -- U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack has held a hastily called town-hall meeting at the Duluth International Airport.

More than 200 people crammed into a room to hear the freshman Republican talk for about 25 minutes Wednesday on what he calls a growing U.S. budget and debt crisis.

Cravaack called the meeting a day earlier after opponents accused him of dodging DFL-dominated Duluth for more Republican-friendly areas of the 8th Congressional District.

The Duluth News Tribune reports Cravaack drew some praise as well as shouts of anger.

Cravaack used slides and federal budget data projecting that Social Security, Medicare and interest on the national debt paid to foreign nations will bankrupt the country over the next three decades if government spending isn't curbed.

The meeting ended one hour after it started.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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