Oberstar, the 16-term congressman from the heavily Democratic 8th district of Minnesota, has been serving in the Congress since 1975. He has never garnered less than 59% of the vote in his district, and is the longest serving representative in the history of Minnesota.

Lourey, a strongly liberal state senator who has served since 1996, is well-known in the anti-war movement due to the fact that her son Matt was killed during the war on May 27th, 2005. She met Cindy Sheehan during her protest at President Bush's ranch and has appeared on The Al Franken Show on the Air America network. He candidacy, however, is not based on her anti-war stance. She is running on classic liberal issues such as health care, education, and transportation. She is considered a long shot in the race, which also includes front runner state Attorney General Mike Hatch and real estate mogul Kelly Doran

Oberstar's endorsement is important for two main reasons: First and foremost, Oberstar is a powerful and popular politician, having served over thirty years in Congress. Therefore, his endorsement shakes off at least some of the "Dark Horse" aura that Lourey had about her. With Oberstar behind her, she will be taken much more seriously than before. Secondly, the district Oberstar represents (the 8th) is very important. It is one of the most Democratic in the entire country, rountinely giving national and state Democratic candidates around two thirds of the vote. Also, it has among the highest voter turnouts in the country (in fact, one of its cities, Duluth, of which I am a resident, had the highest voter turnout in the country in 2004). This will be important in both the primary and general elections, as all Minnesota politicos agree that no Democrat can win statewide without the 8th district.

I personally had the opportunity to see Senator Lourey in person when Al Franken brought his radio show to Duluth and he interviewed her. The impression that I got from seeing her was that she did not seem like a politician. She seemed like the sort of caring, intelligent, and sincere person that Minnesota is known for. However, sadly, these qualities will not win her the governor's race. Although I wish her the best, I highly doubt that she can win the DFL endorsement or the general election against Governor Tim Pawlenty. Nonetheless, Congressman Oberstar's endorsement will surely give life to a campaign that previously had "failure" written all over it.