Iraq war veteran and former Watertown Mayor Steve Sarvi just began his campaign against Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.) on Thursday, but he’s already talking about not only his own victory in 13 months, but three others for the state’s Democrats as well.

“We’re talking about the whole state turning blue,” Sarvi said. “It’s going to be an exciting time.”

Whether or not the Democrats can achieve such a tall order, the state has quickly turned into a battleground, with as many as half its congressional seats up for grabs in 2008.

Minnesota was already set for a battle over Norm Coleman’s (R) Senate seat. But Rep. Jim Ramstad’s (R) unexpected retirement two weeks ago and the just-announced candidacies of Sarvi in the 2nd district and former state transportation commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg (D) in the 6th are quickly turning the state into more than just a presidential and senatorial hotspot in 2008.

None of those three districts was very close in 2006, despite the nationwide Democratic wave. In fact, Rep. Michele Bachmann’s (R) eight-point margin in the 6th was the smallest among them, while Kline and Ramstad won by 16 and 30 points, respectively.

But the new candidates give Democrats reason to be hopeful after the weak 2006 campaigns of child advocate Patty Wetterling in the 6th and FBI whistleblower Coleen Rowley in the 2nd, according to Hamline University Professor David Schultz.

“For all kinds of reasons, [2008] looks like it’s more hospitable to Democrats than maybe even 2006 was,” Schultz said. “Unless something really weird happens in terms of public opinion in the state or nationally in the next year, all of those are [pick-up] possibilities.”

Of course, Democrats will also have to defend freshman Rep. Tim Walz in the 1st district. No clear front-runner has emerged, but the closely drawn district is expected to be competitive.

A spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, Ken Spain, called Bachmann “a strong leader and an excellent member of Congress” and Kline “a proven vote-getter who will no doubt succeed next year.” He pointed out that Ramstad’s seat has long been held by a Republican and said the GOP will be playing offense, too.

“Tim Walz can rest assured that he will be facing an A-plus candidate next year, as the current field of GOP candidates is very strong,” Spain said.

Both Sarvi and Tinklenberg appear to fill niches for Democrats.

Sarvi is an Iraq veteran who returned from a deployment in July. With his military background and experience in local government, he provides two things missing from Rowley’s campaign.

Kline has built his reputation on veterans’ issues, as a retired Marine colonel who served as an aide to Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.

“I think Sarvi has better qualifications, superior credentials, when it comes to those issues, which seem to be particularly important to this congressional district,” said Democratic state Senate District 35 Chairman Howard Bass.

Sarvi, who calls himself a fiscal conservative and social centrist, believes he can take a bite out of Kline’s base. He emphasizes that he’s not running as someone “angry about the Iraq war.” But he does think it’s time to pull the troops out and force Iraq to protect itself.

“Although it seems rather conservative, I think a lot of the people in this district are more of the small-i independent and are really looking for leadership and someone who’s going to actually work to get things done,” Sarvi said.

Similar to Kline’s, Bachmann’s district leans conservative and has proven a futile target for Democrats in recent years.

Tinklenberg, who lost the party endorsement to Wetterling in 2006, had waffled on whether he would run again this year until he announced his candidacy on Monday, citing the infrastructure issues that led to the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis in August.

Tinklenberg’s experience with the suddenly potent issue could aid his run at Bachmann, whose occasional gaffes — including her comment to a local reporter that there was a secret Iranian plan to partition Iraq — feed Democratic hopes to unseat her.

Attorney Bob Olson is also running for the Democratic nod against Bachmann. A third candidate dropped out of the race Thursday.

“Mr. Tinklenberg has tried and failed in the past, but we’ll find out next spring if the [Democratic Party] wants him back,” said Bachmann spokesman Rich Dunn. “In the meantime, Michele is constantly in the community meeting with constituents, she’s building a record that’s in sync with the District, and she has the resources necessary to run successfully.”

The 3rd district race is still shaping up, but state Rep. Erik Paulsen has emerged as the early front-runner on the GOP side, while state Sen. Terri Bonoff became the first Democrat to enter the race last week.

Democrats expect the field to be relatively clear, with the possible exception of Edina Mayor James Hovland (R), who said he will switch parties and run as a Democrat if he decides to enter the race.

Hovland’s party switch would be highly symbolic of the district, which has seen suburban communities like Edina swing Democratic in a hurry.

Bonoff is one of eight Democrats to pick up a state legislature seat in the 3rd district since 2004. Over that span, Democrats have nearly doubled their representation in the district and now hold a majority of seats.

The picture is similar in Kline’s district.

“I’ll probably have to make up my mind within 30 days,” Hovland told The Hill. “Other people are charging ahead, but I need to go a little bit slower.”

A spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Ryan Rudominer, said: “People in Minnesota are looking for a new direction and are turning to Democrats to solve problems facing Minnesota and our nation that President Bush and the Republican Party have neglected for years.”