Tarryl Clark for Congress

As Bachmann jets across the country on own agenda; Clark says Washington isn’t working for Minnesota families

State Senator Tarryl Clark (DFL-St. Cloud) officially launched her campaign for Congress today, just days before Minnesota’s precinct caucuses. Joined by her husband and two sons, Clark declared that she is the candidate who will beat Michele Bachmann, and outlined the key issues facing the people of Minnesota’s 6^th District.

“Washington isn’t working for Minnesota families, and neither is Michele Bachmann,” Clark declared. “Time after time, on issue after issue, while I was standing up for Minnesotans, Michele Bachmann was standing up for her own personal agenda. Families in the 6^th District know that spending your day seeking headlines won’t feed a family, help when you’re sick, or create a job. Instead, I’ll fight every day for people, not a personal agenda.”

“Minnesotans are fighting for survival, and I hear about it every day,” said Clark. “Small business owners see Wall Street bankers getting big bonuses while they can’t even get a loan to expand their business and create jobs. Families are praying that their jobs, or their health care, will still be there when they wake up each morning. Seniors and veterans and families are struggling to make their monthly mortgage payments to keep their house, in the midst of the worst foreclosure crisis since the Depression. I understand these struggles because I’ve lived them and worked on them my entire life.”

Clark cited her record of leadership and results on issues from creating jobs to education and transportation, her commitment to fiscal responsibility, and her proven ability to win elections in traditionally tough areas as reasons she is best positioned to win this election.

“In my work in the State Senate, I’ve helped cut red tape, like reducing mandates on local schools that were costing $300 per student. Now that money can go directly into the classroom,” said Clark. “I’ve fought to make it easier for local government to cut costs by streamlining services, and worked for results instead of services that create unnecessary bureaucracy and paperwork. I worked with employees to find more than $350 million in savings from within state government, because talking about fiscal responsibility doesn’t compare to delivering on it. In fact, I cut my own compensation and office expenses when we hit difficult economic times, because fiscal responsibility starts with leading.”

Clark’s morning news conference marked the start of a six-day “Working for You” tour that will take her across the 6^th Congressional District, with stops in Anoka, Buffalo, Elk River, Hanover, Ham Lake, Oak Park Heights, St. Cloud, St. Joseph, Stillwater, and Woodbury, ending at precinct caucuses on Tuesday, February 2^nd.

While Clark spends her day with workers, families and seniors of the 6^th District, Congresswoman Bachmann will travel thousands of miles today to address the Republican elite of Orange County, California –one of many similar travels across the country Bachmann has planned throughout the year.

Just this week, Clark announced she raised more than $600,000 from more than 5,000 individual donors – all since entering the race mid-way through the 3^rd quarter of 2009. Clark is the only candidate seeking and abiding by the DFL endorsement.