MANKATO — The arguments heard in Congress between Democrats and Republicans were echoed in the 1st Congressional District race again last week.

This time, Democratic Congressman Tim Walz and Republican challenger Randy Demmer were in complete disagreement about a $26 billion bill aimed at preserving the jobs of teachers and other government workers.

All but two House Republicans opposed the legislation, signed into law by President Obama on Tuesday.

Demmer, a state lawmaker from Hayfield, portrayed the bill as “a state bail-out bill” that will add to the national debt “without leading to any private sector job creation.”

Walz said the bill provides some relief to states facing deep budget shortfalls caused by the economic recession and will help prevent the lay-offs of an estimated 2,500 teachers in Minnesota and nearly 1,000 police officers, firefighters and other government employees.

“The state budgets were absolutely devastated,” Walz said, noting that the cost of the federal aid will be offset by closing a corporate tax loophole that helps companies send jobs overseas. “It’s going to buy a little bit of time until the private sector starts rebounding a little faster.”

Demmer expressed doubt about whether the offsetting revenue will really be generated and said the bill allows state and local officials to avoid making necessary long-term cuts in spending.

“... Walz talks about fiscal responsibility but then heads back to Washington and rubber-stamps an out of touch liberal agenda that is pulling our country farther and farther into fiscal crisis,” Demmer said in a statement released by his campaign.

Post-primary period begins

With the conclusion of the intense primary election campaign for the DFL gubernatorial nomination, legislative candidates are feeling like they might be able to get a word in edgewise now.

“That was taking pretty much everybody’s volunteer time and everybody’s attention,” said State Sen. Kathy Sheran, DFL-Mankato, taking a break from greeting folks at the Nicollet County Fair on Friday.

Sheran, seeking a second term in the Senate, even ran her first radio ad immediately after the primary election concluded. The gist of the ad: that Sheran offers an alternative to the partisan extremes that are increasingly a part of American politics.

Rep. Terry Morrow, DFL-St. Peter, joined Sheran at the party booth, and across the commercial building at the fair Greg Wersal was aggressively seeking the attention of potential voters. Wersal, running for the state Supreme Court, is open about his deeply conservative views, but his pitch to fair-goers is that he will always support the right of voters to choose judges.

Wersal joked about the difficulty in engaging fair-goers about a judicial race and said he sometimes targets the workers at the business and organizational booths.

“They’re a captive audience,” he said. “They can’t leave.”

Fairs, festivals and blue ribbons

The county fairs are winding down, but the community festivals continue for a few more weekends. The Gaylord Eggstravaganza Parade on Saturday was Sheran’s last of the summer season, and statewide Republican candidates were also planning to attend.

Rep. Tony Cornish, who was spotted wearing his “vote for me” shirt at the Rapidan Dam Centennial Celebration on Saturday, has a somewhat unusual endorsement to tell voters about. The Education Minnesota PAC, representing Minnesota teachers, endorsed just seven Republicans statewide and Cornish was one of them.

Walz, meanwhile, continues to rack up rewards from veterans groups. He was chosen as “Legislator of the Year” by the National Association of County Veterans Services Officers for his work on a variety of legislative changes to help veterans.