MN-03: Will Ramstad Un-retire?

by: James L.

Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 4:59 PM EDT

"Jim has been overwhelmed by the huge number of Minnesotans urging him to reconsider, but he has no plans to run for re-election."

"No plans" is legendary Washingtonspeak for "I haven't made up my mind" or "I won't tell you yet".  It's no surprise that the NRCC would make the effort to reverse Ramstad's decision.  Without him on the ballot, Ramstad pushes what was once a safe seat into toss-up territory for the GOP, forcing national Republicans to spend precious resources defending the district that Bush carried by a narrow three point margin against Kerry in 2004.

And in an update, Eric Black writes that a second source believes that Republicans have a good shot at changing Ramstad's mind:

A second and very reliable source, with insider knowledge of National Republican Congressional Committee efforts to get U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad to run for reelection next year, says the committee believes there's a better than 50-50 chance Ramstad will do it.

Democrats have a strong contender in state Sen. Terri Bonoff, who reportedly raised $90K in about a week after jumping into the race.  Does Ramstad figure that she'll withdraw her bid if he decides to run again?  If not, why on earth would he want to turn down retirement and face one of the more competitive races of his career?

Stay tuned.

Race Tracker: MN-03