Bachmann opponents could be headed for primary

Two Democrats looking to face Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) could be headed to a primary after one of them cried foul over labor endorsements.

The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party likes to avoid primaries, with candidates often pledging to abide by the state party's endorsement in the race. Those pledges sometimes fall by the wayside when it becomes apparent who will win the backing, and that appears to be the case in the 6th district.

From Minnesota Public Radio:

Sixth District Congressional candidate Dr. Maureen Reed says she'll no longer pledge to abide by the DFL endorsement after being overlooked by several labor unions.

Since entering the race five months ago, Reed has said she would seek the DFL party endorsement to challenge incumbent Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. But Reed's pledge to abide by that process is now wavering. State Sen. Tarry Clark, DFL-St. Cloud, who's also running in the 6th district, has been piling up several key endorsements from organized labor. Reed says she now wants to keep her options open, including running in a primary, because she never got a shot at those union endorsements.

"We weren't even screened," Reed said. "I didn't even get a call saying we're going forward, would you like to come in Maureen and screen with us? And that's been disappointing to me. If this isn't an open and fair process here, maybe I should keep my options open."

The Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council and the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters have confirmed that Reed was not screened for endorsements that went to Clark. Officials with the Minnesota AFL-CIO and Minnesota Nurses Associations say they interviewed both DFL candidates for endorsement and Clark prevailed. Other unions have not returned phone calls.

Clark said she is focused on her campaign, not Reed's.