Posted: 7/26/06
Former U.S. Sen. Rod Grams seeks return to public office; shows more genuine calm than during 2000 Senate campaign
by T.W. Budig
ECM capitol reporter
Former U.S. Senator Rod Grams has the happy ability to grow six years older and seem younger.
Certainly, Grams, 58, is a little grayer at the temples.
But the tension that seemed just beneath his skin during the 2000 Senate campaign ó perhaps he came across as angry, Grams recently mused ó seems gone and replaced with a genuine calm.
That may be something a prerequisite for any Republican candidate who challenges Congressman Jim Oberstar, which Grams has decided to do.
For 16 terms Democrat Oberstar has represented northeast Minnesota and over the past four election cycles averaged about 67 percent of the vote.
Grams talks about running uphill with the wind in his face, portraying the difficulty of defeating such an incumbent.
ìI donít take anything away from his efforts but I think I can do a better job,î said Grams, who calls Oberstar a friend.
ìThereís a lot of things in lots of areas I think Jim has not the done the job that reflects the values of Northern Minnesota,î said Grams.
Hasn't lost congressional seniority
Though out of office, he hasnít lost his congressional seniority, Grams pointed out. He was first a U.S. Representative in Congress and then elected to the U.S. Senate.
ìI think Iíll have an awful lot of influence and be an awfully loud voice for the people of Minnesota,î he said.
But, is there a Don Quixote element to Gramsí candidacy?
Local Republicans donít think so.
Rep. Sondra Erickson, R-Princeton, said 8th District Republicans have run good people against Oberstar but not good candidates.
Rep. Larry Howes, R-Walker, like other local Republicans, argues the district is changing ó growing more conservative in the south.
ìIf he (Grams) gets 37 percent in St. Louis County, we have a race,î said Howes. ìNo one is unbeatable,î he said of Oberstar.
Gramsí own political career bears out that final assessment.
After a stunning upset of former congressman Gerry Sikorski in 1992, the former Channel 9 news anchor went on to win election to the U.S. Senate in 1994.
But in 2000, Grams ó nationally seen as vulnerable going into the election ó was defeated by millionaire Mark Dayton.
ìI thought we had momentum. I thought we had a chance to win,î said Grams, who said his campaign was badly outspent.
The revelation concerning Texas Governor George Bushís old DWI arrest just before Election Day may have had a cooling effect, Grams opined.
But other factors made it a tough campaign.
Grams had to deal with the criminal behavior of his son Morgan Grams, who ran afoul of the law in Anoka County prior to the election.
Morgan Grams was later sentenced to 10 years in prison in New Mexico in 2001 for a variety of charges.
In a news conference just short weeks prior to the 2000 election, the self-contained senator emotionally concluded he had little control over his son.
Concerns over the past had friends advising Grams to reconsider running again for public office, Grams explained.
Open to personal attacks
ìSome real close friends of mine encouraged me not to run (in the 8th) because they know the same thing you know ó the personal level of what you put on the line and how you open yourself to all kinds of attacks,î said Grams to a reporter.
But itís worth it, Grams concluded.
ìI said one time to a group I know if I got into the race, I would regret it; if I didnít get into the race, Iíd regret it more,î said Grams.
As for his son, Morgan, who is currently serving out the final weeks of his sentence in a Minnesota prison, talks of going to college, explained Grams.
ìHeís grown a lot; heís a nice young man,î said Grams, who said he visits Morgan every couple of weeks.
Morgan regrets wasting years of his life, said Grams. ìHe says, ëHeís the only one to blame,íî said Grams.
ìHe was a kid who had some problems and did some dumb things ó Iím using his words,î said Grams.
After losing reelection in 2000 Grams became a lobbyist with Hecht Spencer and Associates, later buying three radio stations in Minnesota.
His wife Christine Grams manages the stations and has no official position in his campaign, Grams explained.
A former staffer, Christine Grams was embroiled in an e-mail scandal during the last campaign.
Grams married Christine, his second wife, four days after the 2000 election.
With the Abramoff Scandal, the nationís attention has been drawn to the influence of lobbyists in Washington.
Itís a politically meaty issue.
Not going there
The Republican Party of Minnesota has hammered Hennepin County Attorney and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Amy Klobuchar for her lobbyist past, implying as part of the problem she canít offer solutions. Grams is not going there. ìIím going to take those same shots,î he said. ìSo do I think theyíre fair, no,î he said.
While saying thereís a few bad apples, Grams explains the role of lobbyist as providing information to lawmakers.
ìThereís never two sides to a story but thereís twelve or twenty,î he said.
He views Congress as having the integrity to withstand the influence of lobbyist ó if they canít, throw them out, he advises.
But he dismisses the idea that lobbyists control Washington.
ìI donít know anybody who would take a vote for a $3,000 trip,î he said.
Focusing on Oberstar, Grams raised several issues where he believes the congressman has shown a lack of initiative or misdirected initiative.
Grams faults Oberstar for not pushing to let loggers into the blowdown area of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area ó a wildfire just consumed some 32,000 acres.
Additionally, Grams portrays Oberstar as essentially a resident of the East Coast, infrequently visiting the district he represents.
Oberstar camp responds
John Schadl, Oberstarís campaign communications director, dismissed Gramsí criticisms saying the congressman instantly addressed the blowdown ó he falls short in Sierra Club surveys because of his support for the timber industry ó and has always tried to strike a balance between jobs and environmental protection.
Should Democrats take Congress, Oberstar stands to become chairman of the House Transportation and Infastructure Committee ó a powerful post.
But Grams places the odds against Democrats seizing control.
In a recent interview in Cambridge, Grams, of Crown, wore a trademark checkered shirt and when a call came on his cell phone, a rooster alarm crowed.
Grams is a farm kid.
He lives on the family farm he grew up on in Isanti County
Outside the Cambridge office, a campaign RV took up a length of curb and Grams was recognized by locals as he stood outside in the heat.
He was going to have fun this campaign, Grams said.
State Sen. Sean Nienow, R-Cambridge, believes Grams is having fun.
ìHe thinks heís doing the right thing,î said Nienow.
Things are changing in the district, Nienow insists.
Today, you can drive from Wyoming to the Canadian border and never leave Republican territory, he said.
ìWe need to look to the future. And that (future) doesnít include Jim (Oberstar),î said Nienow.
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