1st CD gets coverage in L.A. Times

The battlefield widens for House GOP seats

A tide of discontent has made a growing number of races competitive.

By Ronald Brownstein, Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Jenny Jarvie
Times Staff Writers

October 23, 2006

LA CRESCENT, MINN. — The temperature is dropping, but six-term Rep. Gil Gutknecht (R-Minn.) is sweating more than usual for this time of year.

In his last two campaigns, Gutknecht breezed to reelection with at least 60% of the vote. But when he stopped at an American Legion hall in this small southern Minnesota town Friday, he faced several tough issues, including the House page scandal, North Korea, Iran and the war in Iraq.

"The body count in October [in Iraq] is so high — how do you feel about an exit strategy?" asked Shan Gruden, a retired teacher who supported Gutknecht in the past but remains undecided today.

Gruden's challenge to Gutknecht captures the dynamic that is widening the battlefield during the final weeks of the contest for control of the House of Representatives.

(The rest is here.)