Ramstad announces retirement:
Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.) will announce Monday that he will not run for a 10th term in Congress, according to a GOP source familiar with the situation.
The lawmaker becomes the sixth Republican House member to retire this cycle and creates an open seat in a bona fide swing district. Ramstad’s retirement ranks as one of the bigger surprises of the six. Despite his 17 years in Congress, Ramstad is just 61.
He was forced to cede the chairmanship of the House Ways and Means oversight subcommittee when the Democrats took power after the 2006 election.
Ramstad, who has built a centrist voting record during his tenure, has spent much of the new Congress voting with Democrats on key issues. He was one of only 17 Republicans to vote against the troop increase in Iraq and one of 24 to vote to allow the government to negotiate prices with prescription drug companies.
I wish I could say that I would miss Jim Ramstad in the House. But I can't, so I won't.
His announcement does open up the field on both sides in the Third District. I imagine a number of prominent Republicans will consider jumping in and I would expect the Dems to be able to field a much better candidate than Wendy Wilde. I know, I know. Low bar and all that.
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