Republican Representative John Kline joined 262 fellow Congresspersons in the passage of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act last Friday. Originally, he spoke out against the package, believing the market should self-regulate itself and if a failure is imminent, then the failure should occur.

However, as with many other Republicans and Democrats, Kline essentially held his nose and voted in favor of the Act.

Many conservatives and constituents believe that the bailout package is a mistake and does nothing to fix the situation. Kline hopes his electorate will understand his reasons for his vote when they head to the polls in November.

Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District's Congressman John Kline focuses on his assistance in passing the National Defense Authorization Act. Working on the House Armed Services Committee gave the Republican candidate the ability to oversee what went into the Bill and how the budget would be used.

The NDAA is the framework for the Pentagon's annual budget and Kline helped push the addition of $68.6 billion in supplemental funding for Iraq and Afghanistan to the $531.4 billion Bill. The Act also calls for adding 7,000 Army personnel and 5,000 Marines to active duty status. He believes that the extra troops will help with the taxing rotations in Iraq that have left the National Guard and Reserves overworked.

The Bill also halted a rate hike for veterans health care benefits.

Congressman John Kline, Republican Representative from Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District, touts his history of military service and his family's commitment to the armed forces. Kline spent 25 years as a Marine before joining the Carter and Reagan Administrations as the person who held the “football,” the codes for nuclear deployment. His wife has been a career nurse for the Army and his son, Dan, is currently serving with the 101st Airborne in Afghanistan after a tour of duty in Iraq as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot.

Military service is heavily important to the electorate and Kline's devotion to the veterans in the 2nd is widely known and may help him in November.

Republican Congressman John Kline has come under fire for a statement by one of his staffers, Legislative Director Yelena Vaynberg, gave a statement to the Red Wing Republican Eagle that was wrong. In response to an angry letter from a supporter of Kline's opponent, Steve Sarvi, Vaynberg stated that, “Congressman Kline has consistently supported the renewal and expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Accordingly, Kline voted for legislation last fall that would provide an 18-month extension of the current SCHIP plan.”

The problem that the statement presented for Kline was the fact that it was factually incorrect. Kline was an outspoken opponent of the SCHIP plan and voted against its passage.

Addressing the recent FISA legislation and the Bush Administration's alleged abuses of power, Democratic challenger for Virginia's 5th Congressional District, Tom Perriello, released a video on his stances on the controversial Bill.

Citing the Administration's continued erosion of civil liberties and failures in the War on Terror, he uses his own history as a basis for exploring what he calls poor leadership.

He believes that the intelligence failures that led to the occupation of Iraq are signs that the FISA legislation would be mismanaged and misused. He also points to the Administration's decision to go it alone in Iraq that has caused greater problems in National Security than Saddam Hussein or Al Qaida ever represented on their own.

At a press conference at the Roanoke Civic Center, Democratic candidate for Virginia's 5th Congressional District, Tom Perriello, spoke about the SCHIP program that failed to pass Congress.

Speaking during National Cover the Uninsured Week, he believes that the importance behind the legislation had been lost on its opponents, including Congressman Virgil Goode.

He uses a backdrop of an empty arena to symbolize the number of children that would have received insurance coverage if the SCHIP Bill would not have been blocked.

SCHIP was initiated to lower the level of income needed for families to receive financial assistance from the state in obtaining medical insurance for children.

Republican Goode may stand to have a challenge in being reelected by a constituency that has seen heavy job losses and an increasing loss of insurance coverage amongst its children.

Democratic candidate for Virginia's 5th Congressional District, Tom Perriello, received an endorsement from the United Auto Workers after joining with workers at a Volvo plant and marched the picket line for Local 2069.

He addressed the concerns of workers about areas of the 5th that have been hard hit by the tough economic times that are causing everyone in the country to suffer.

The workers were on strike over the threat to cut benefits and lower wages.

Democratic candidate Tom Periello used the image of a Nascar to represent his opponent, Republican Virgil Goode's voting record. He presents a car loaded with stickers from companies that have donated to Goode's campaign.

Using the latest Wall Street crisis as an example of how deregulation has damaged the financial standing of the U.S., he rips off stickers of companies such as Wachovia that have recently filed for bankruptcy.

Goode faces challenges to his reelection in light of the financial bailout package due to his connections to these groups.

Video footage has recently been released showing a high level Ashwin Madia supporter stealing a lawn sign for his opponent. The video, on youtube, has brought fire to the Madia campaign and their supporters seemingly illegal activities.

A rash of sign thefts have been reported in recent weeks as the campaign heats up, however, this is the only known footage of the event taking place.

Investigators linked the car to a Madia supporter but as of yet no arrests have been made.

Madia is running on the Democratic ticket against Republican Erik Paulson for Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District.

Democratic candidate for Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District Ashwin Madia is combating attacks that he is a Democrat in Name Only (DINO). Madia is on the record as supporting Bob Dole in the 1996 Presidential Election and John McCain in the 2000 Republican primary.

Admitting that he was a Republican for many years, until he did a tour of duty in Iraq, Madia switched parties for a run for political office.

Madia is facing off against Republican candidate Erik Paulson.

Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District has been a stronghold for the Republican party for 47 years. With the retirement of longtime Congressman Jim Ramstad, the seat has been targeted by the Democratic Party to switch to Republican.

Ramstad had a long and successful career and ingrained himself into the 3rd and its success over the past years, which benefits his Republican successor Erik Paulson.

Comprising the western suburbs of the Twin Cities, the 3rd is the most affluent and wealthiest section of Minnesota. It voted for Bush in 2004, however with only 51%. Ramstad won every election with at least 65% of the vote.

Democratic candidate for Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District Ashwin Madia has come under fire for not stating that Iran posed a threat to the U.S. Speaking at a fundraiser in Edina, he addressed this concern by redefining his position on the rogue country. Calling Iran a concern, he pointed out that they have long way to go on developing nuclear weapons, but the possibility is still threatening. He calls for leadership to make headway in discussing the proper course of action, and like Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama, he believes in opening up talks with rogue leaders without pre-conditions. He does state that there should be preparations, however.

Using the traditional statement about being a tax and spend liberal, Republican think tanks have attacked Dina Titus on her taxation policies with one of their latest campaign ads.

Citing her taxation of marriage licenses, hunting and fishing licenses, motor vehicle fees, and the county swimming pool, her opponents are attempting to portray her as a person who will tax anything that she can.

Making a play on her name calling her “Dina Taxes” may affect what voters think of her as they enter the booth this November.

Using Democratic candidate Dina Titus's history against her, Republican Jon Porter launched an attack involving her record on education.

Citing her failure to vote for school improvement reforms that included pay raises for teachers and a reduction of class sizes.

Titus responds to these ads, stating the bill that would have made these changes was cost prohibitive and didn't offer the accountability of financial oversite above the district level.

Education reforms are a major priority for Nevada's 3rd District as the population increases in the expanding community.

A campaign ad allegedly made by students in a government class at East Montgomery High School located in North Carolina's 8th Congressional District has been making rounds on the internet. The ad presents Larry Kissell, a schoolteacher, taking questions from a class of students as they probe him on his more conservative issues. They point out Kissell's stances of lowering taxes and creating a smaller government as reasons to not cast a vote for him in November. The students claim that if you are going to vote for a Republican, one should support incumbent Robin Hayes and not a potential Democrat in Name Only (DINO).

In October 2007, a press leak showed that the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement to House and Senate staffers to get vaccinated before attending NASCAR events. This highly offended fans of the sport and rallied many people behind Republican Congressman Robin Hayes as he held rallies and wrote letters to officials.

Pointing out the absurdity of not requiring staffers to get vaccinated before attending every large social event was a hypocrisy designed to single out NASCAR fans as being something different or inferior to the average sports fan.

Hayes defense of the Lowe's Motor Speedway in North Carolina's 8th Congressional District gained him a large grassroots team of devout racing fans.

Republican incumbent of North Carolina's 8th Congressional District Robin Hayes has taken aim at allegations that Larry Kissell somehow manipulated his worker's paycheck for 27 years in an attempt to charge them for the full amount of social security and Medicare. In addition, the charges claim that he failed to carry unemployment insurance at his Star, NC company Renfro, a hosiery mill which closed in 2003.

Kissell responds to the allegations by calling them lies and exaggerations perpetrated by Big Oil.

The questions brought up by the media stem from an FEC Report released in 2006 just before Kissell's previous run for the House seat.

In this media savvy world, having a member of Congress who has the knowledge and insight to maintain a full fledged position as a blogger for a private organization can be a liability as well as an asset.

Larry Kissell, Democratic challenger for North Carolina's 8th Congressional District's House seat against incumbent Republican Robin Hayes, has used his position as a blogger for the Daily Kos, a liberal website, to attack his opponent.

Using a format much more personal than those in the past has given Kissell an edge over the younger voters more in tune to the individuality of the internet, but also caused outcry from opponents of such a position, saying that a person running for office should limit themselves to official statements from their campaign.

Republicans have come under fire recently in New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District due to vacating Congressman Steve Pearce's actions during the recent State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Bill debate in the House of Representatives.

According to his primary rival, Heather Wilson, Pearce violated ethics on many occasions, most recently by sending out 130,000 automated phone calls to voice his opposition to the Bill. The phone calls allegedly urged recipients to contact him through an official, non-campaign website and phone number.

With Pearce leaving his seat to make a run for the Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici, mistrust of the exact nature of those Republicans who continue to represent their district resonate heavily with the electorate.

Questions resonate around Democratic nominee for New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District, Harry Teague. Hard line Democrats have pointed out many facts that seem to point to Teague's support of the Republican Party, specifically vacating Congressman Steve Pearce.

Opponents point out that Teague gave $1,000 and $2,100 to Pearce's campaign in 2004 and 2006 respectively. Teague and Pearce also went to grade school together and apparently are longtime friends through their wives.

When Teague was elected Lea County Commissioner in 1998 he served with a commission comprised of Republicans who continued to vote him into power despite him being named a Democrat.

Also at odds with his liberal base are the sources of fundraising that Teague has been allowed. 26% of his supporters are Republicans, with 22% being Pearce donors. 51% are linked to the oil industry and almost all his money comes from Lea County, home of both Teague and Pearce.

What affect this will have on voters in November is yet to be seen, but the cries of DINO have already been sounded.

Following former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura's announcement on Larry King Live that he would not make a bid for the Minnesota Senate seat, the race has heated up with the entry of the lawmaker who held the seat just before sitting Senator Norm Coleman won the 2002 election – Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley.

Barkley was appointed by Governor Ventura after the death of Paul Wellstone in a plane crash. He served only for a brief two month tenure, introducing legislation to create a Wellstone memorial and became the key vote in passing the Homeland Security Act.

Barkley runs as a well known third party candidate, supporting the idea of fiscal conservatism and social liberalism. Many Minnesotans believe his stances on key issues align with their core values more than the Republicans or Democrats.

Nancy and Claremont Anderson of Hoffman, MN, parents of Major Stuart M. Anderson, have spoken out against Senator Norm Coleman in th latest television spot from the Democratic Senatorial Election Committee.

They point to what the Democrats Coleman's lack of judgment in supporting President Bush's actions to continue the occupation of Iraq. Calling him a “Yes Man” and stating that they don't blame the Army for their son's death, but Norm Coleman, the ad makes a chilling attack at the sitting Senator in his bid for reelection.

In light of the recent economic downturn and the proposed $700 billion bailout, Minnesota's 6th District's Congresswoman Michele Bachmann voiced opposition to the package proposed by Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernake. She feels that the Bush Administration bailout fails to address the underlying concerns of how the mortgage crisis caused a collapse in investor confidence.

Bachmann also points to her conservative values of deregulation and support of a free market able to suffer the consequences of poor management amongst its companies.

Shortly after taking office, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann made news by kissing President Bush at the State of the Union address in 2007. That kiss caused quite a stir with the media and thrust Bachmann from the position of a rookie congresswoman to a nationwide stage.

The kiss also circulated rumors of Bachmann's relationship with the President, what her intentions to Republican leadership were, and indeed how she became such an important congressperson in such a short period of time.