In his 17 years in Congress, Jim Ramstad has managed to bridge the partisan divide in the House, while still maintaining a steady, consistent political philosophy as a genuine moderate.

Put another way, he’s not known as a flip-flopper.

So what to make of Ramstad’s wavering over whether to retire from Congress?

Jim Ramstad and his wife, Kathryn, in September, as the congressman announced his plan to retire

He surprised everyone with an announcement in September that he would not seek reelection in 2008.

Here’s what he said that day:

“After 17 years of getting on a plane every Monday and coming back every Friday, I’m burned out. I’m tired. I still have a passion for policy and a passion for politics, but I want to be home.”

It’s been clear for some time that Republican leaders were disappointed in Ramstad’s decision, because it would be a safe seat if he runs again, and it might fall into Democratic hands if he doesn’t. At the very least, Ramstad’s retirement would require the GOP to spend a lot of money and time to try to protect the seat, at a time when they’ve got lots of other vulnerable seats.

But can Ramstad really reverse course? Will the apparently emerging spin — that he wants to see the mental health parity bill passed first — be seen as anything more than a fig leaf over the arm-twisting (or water-boarding) that’s he being subjected to?

If he does run, will that about-face sully his hard-earned reputation?

And if he does decide to run, can he withstand the Democratic attacks that will incessantly replay: “I’m burned out. I’m tired…I want to be home”?

We’ve seen plenty of politicians renege on pledges to step down after x-number of terms, including Ramstad’s friend Paul Wellstone. But how many have run again after saying they were sick of the job?

How about this strategy? He runs on a campaign of being a “green representative” — forgoing the fuel-wasting flights to Washington and telecommuting, instead.

What do you make of this situation? What should Ramstad do? And can he win if he does run again?

State Sen. Terri Bonoff is announcing her candidacy today for Rep. Jim Ramstad’s congressional seat. We talked with Sen. Bonoff, a DFLer from Minnetonka, this morning on Pig’s Eye Podcast about why she’s running, her stance on Iraq and Iran and other issues closer to home.

State Sen. Terri Bonoff

To learn more about her…

Here’s her campaign website: www.terribonoff.com.

Here’s her legislative website.

Other candidates for the Third Congressional District include:

Republican Erik Paulsen, a former Minnesota House Majority Leader from Eden Prairie, has said he’s running, but hasn’t held his official kick-off event yet. Here’s his website, although there’s not much more than a couple of photos and contact info, so far.

Ashwin Madia, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq, is running for the Democratic endorsement. He’s a lawyer from Plymouth. Here’s his website.

Edina Mayor Jim Hovland, who recently switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party, is considering running.

Check back later today for reporter Mark Brunswick’s story about Bonoff’s official launch of her campaign.

.

Elwyn Tinklenberg announces his candidacy

Elwyn Tinklenberg’s announcement Monday that he’s running for Minnesota’s Sixth Congressional District seat held by Republican Michele Bachmann ensures that the race will be high-profile. The contest is being cited nationally as a competitive race — one that could play a pivotal role in which party wins control of the House in the 2008 elections.

Congressional Quarterly has a story here citing the Sixth District as one of three in Minnesota that are among the most competitive nationally. The other two are the suburban Third District, where Republican Jim Ramstad is retiring, and the First District, in southern Minnesota, where Democrat Tim Walz will be seeking a second term. CQ says that the Midwest as a whole will be the true battleground for control of the U.S. House.

Michele Bachmann on Election night 2006

The state Republican Party weighed in with a press release, which you can find here.

Here’s a look at the coverage by a newspaper in the Sixth District. The St. Cloud Times article is here.

And here’s a post on the Minnesota Campaign Report blog from a supporter of another Democratic candidate in the Sixth, Bob Olson.

When you look back at Bachmann’s win over Patty Wetterling last year, and consider the current political landscape, which Democrat — or what type of candidate — do you think has the best chance of winning in the Sixth?

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is under scrutiny on a couple of bridge-related fronts. The agency suspended its incomplete inspection of the I-35W bridge, months before it collapsed. And MnDOT hired but then didn’t use a consulting firm to inspect the bridge for flaws. Here’s the story by Pat Doyle and Mike Kaszuba.

Meanwhile, the state Legislative Auditor now has MnDOT in his sights. The agency failed to notify James Nobles about questionable travel expenses by its official in charge of emergency responses. Nobles learned about the situation after the Star Tribune reported that the official was on an East Coast business trip when the bridge collapsed — and that she took 10 days to return to Minnesota. Here’s the original story and here’s today’s news.

An investigation on a completely different front involves allegations against the U.S. attorney for Minnesota, Rachel Paulose. As part of the continuing staff upheaval in her office, a federal office is looking into reports that she carelessly handled classified documents and retaliated against employees in her office. Here’s the story, and here’s the initial report on the probe on former colleague Eric Black’s blog.

Jim Ramstad, just a day after he announced his retirement plans, scored a big victory in the U.S. Senate last night. The Senate passed the mental health parity bill, which Ramstad, R-Minn., and the late Sen. Paul Wellstone had long championed. The bill is awaiting action in the House. Here’s the news report and here’s more information about the legislation on the Wellstone Action! website.

There’s a big vote beginning at 11:30 a.m. today. Ok, it’s not really a political development, but still… The designs for next year’s Winter Carnival button will be unveiled today, and the public will have a chance to vote for their favorites. Here’s more information.

U.S. Rep Jim Ramstad proved he can keep a secret. There wasn’t a whiff about the possibility of his retiring until his campaign issued an alert shortly before noon, saying that the congressman would be making a major announcement about his future. The release didn’t say what Ramstad would announce, but the Microsoft Word attachment detailing the time and location of the press conference had this name: “retire_advisory.doc”

Here’s the Star Tribune story about his announcement and the mad scramble that’s developing to succeed him.

Plus, The Big Question provides a more detailed look at those who are planning to or thinking about running.

The Star Tribune’s editorial praises Ramstad for his ability to reach across party lines.

Other coverage:

• The Hill points out that Ramstad is the sixth Republican House member to announce a retirement, and calls the Third District a “bona fide swing district.”
• Roll Call described the development as “another swing-seat headache for” Republicans.
• Power Line says that “headache” is probably a fair characterization, given that while Bush carried the district over Kerry, Clinton won it twice.
• MnPublis argues that Ramstad’s departure will mean fewer votes from the Third District for Republican Sen. Norm Coleman in his reelection bid next year.
• Ed Morrissey at Captain’s Quarters headlines his post: Should I move to Minnetonka?

Ramstad’s own websites haven’t been updated with the news. But if you want to learn more about him, here’s his congressional site and his campaign site.

And if you want to look back at his voting record, this Washington Post site will keep you busy.

What do you think are the ramifications of Ramstad’s retirement, and who — or at least what kind of candidates — do you think would make the strongest contenders for his seat?