Democratic leaders try to boost Nolan's standing on Iron Range

On the last weekend before Tuesday's election, DFLers attempted to counter the political winds that have turned northeastern Minnesota from reliably blue territory into a battleground.

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On Saturday about 40 people huddled in the the cold and blustery wind in Virginia to watch and cheer for top-name Democrats.

DFL state Sen. David Tomassoni of Chisholm reminded the audience what's at stake in a year that's seen Joe Biden and Walter Mondale campaign on the Iron Range.

"We not only had one vice president up here," Tomassoni said. "We now have a second vice president up here because Walter Mondale is up here. And when they start going around the state telling people how important it is to vote, you know how important it is to vote and getting people re-elected."

The speakers, including Mondale, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Gov. Mark Dayton, reminded the audience that Dayton and DFL Sen. Al Franken won office only after statewide recounts. This year, Franken and Dayton appear to be on a safer ground. Instead, it's DFL U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan who is fighting for his political life.

"I think it's very close," Nolan said. "All of the indications are that we have a modest lead, but it's within the margin of error and it's ultimately going to be determined if the people are going to show up to vote."

Nolan and his supporters say Green Party candidate Skip Sandman is cutting into Nolan's support because of his opposition to copper-nickel mining.

But Democrats are also clearly worried about Nolan's support on the Iron Range, where Democrats usually win by wide margins. The DFL Party has started running radio ads on the Iron Range featuring Dayton and area state lawmakers.

DFL Party Chair Ken Martin says he hopes the ads and Dayton and Franken's strong standing in the polls will help Nolan Tuesday.

"We just need to do our job and that's why we're going around the state and making sure Democrats are mobilized and excited and ready to get the vote out," Martin said.

Republican Stewart Mills says he's confident, not cocky, about his chances of beating Nolan.

"The fact that Rick Nolan has to bring in Vice President Joe Biden to prop him up, the fact that our governor is trying to prop him up, it just shows the weakness of his campaign and his message," Mills said.

The two are locked in one of the most expensive House races in the country, with special interests spending millions. And while Democrats are streaming in to help Nolan, Mills is mostly going it alone aside from weekend visits from Republican U.S. Rep. John Kline and Republican Congressional Campaign Chairman Greg Walden.

"Our campaign stands on its own," Mills said. "We have our own identity."

The Republican statewide candidates have also spent most of their time in the past few weeks campaigning on their own.

On Saturday, gubernatorial hopeful Jeff Johnson stopped by a coffee shop and a Republican campaign center in Rochester to meet voters and encourage volunteers.

Johnson said he's upbeat about his chances despite lagging Dayton in every statewide poll.

"The momentum has been with us for a few weeks now, and we're seeing that in our own numbers as well as the public numbers," Johnson said. "That gap has been shrinking and by Election Day we'll be in good shape."

MPR News reporter Catharine Richert contributed to this report.