With Bachmann not running, Jim Graves drops out of MN 6th District race

I just got a donor email update from his campaign, and then found this article on Minnpost.com. The donor email reads:

This is the most difficult message I’ve ever had to write.

A year ago, we set out on a mission: To restore civility, functionality and honesty to Washington by removing Michele Bachmann from office. Her hateful rhetoric and dangerous policies fueled an extremist movement unlike anything we’d seen in a long time. The tone it created was a poison pill that crippled Congress, preventing government from performing its most basic duties, like passing a budget.

Over this past year, I’ve never been more inspired. Thousands and thousands and thousands of you stepped up to the plate and sacrificed – your time, your money, your energy – to make our country a better place. Your passion will be etched into my memory forever.

This week, we learned that we succeeded. We set out to defeat Rep. Bachmann, and that has been accomplished. You should feel incredibly proud. After all, it was the grassroots movement you built that kept the pressure on and forced Rep. Bachmann from her seat in Congress.

I’ll never be able to thank you enough for being part of this team. But after struggling with this decision – agonizing over it with my friends, supporters and family, I’ve decided to suspend my campaign indefinitely.

As I said, I’ve never faced a more difficult decision. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your support and dedication.

Your friendship means the world to my family and me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Jim

From the article by Eric Black from Minnpost:

I asked Graves whether his decision was shaped by the emerging conventional wisdom that, while he had a fair shot at defeating Bachmann, he stood little chance against a less radical, divisive, fact-challenged Republican, because the 6th District has such a strong Republican lean. He didn’t exactly say yes or no. He emphasized that Amy Klobuchar has done very well in the district in both of her Senate races. She is a Democrat, but she offers a constructive approach.

He acknowledged that the national media, the national Democratic Party and the national liberal-donor base are going to be a lot less interested in who represents the 6th District of Minnesota now that Bachmann has removed herself. He said that the attention and support he received from far and wide was not about him.  “I was just the guy who was running against her,” he said. “I’m humble enough to realize that.”

All in all I’m happy for Jim and his family, not happy for us. There may be some truth that he may have had trouble beating a non-crazy Republican in the 6th District. On the other side, will a sane Republican stand a chance of getting elected? That remains to be seen.

I don’t think Graves beat Bachmann. I think Bachmann beat Bachmann, and Jim just gave her a gentle nudge toward the cliff.

Maybe Tarryl Clark will run again. I hope so.

And a great quote from Democratic Underground just now: “The 6th District is the attic where Minnesota keeps its crazy aunts.”