MANKATO — Democrats and other supporters of Barack Obama will be gathering at Minnesota State University and in 13 other locations around Minnesota to watch his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention tonight.

The Mankato “Convention Watch Party” will be in rooms 253 and 255 of the Centennial Student Union at MSU. No time was listed for the start of the party, but the biographical/promotional video for Obama is scheduled to be aired at 9 p.m. and the nominee’s acceptance speech, expected to last 35 to 40 minutes, will follow.

The speech will be made before an anticipated crowd of more than 70,000 at Invesco Field, the stadium that serves as the home of the Denver Broncos.

Davis, Walz on the air

The complete domination of the campaign ad wars in southern Minnesota by Obama, John McCain, Norm Coleman and Al Franken has come to an end. Dr. Brian Davis, the endorsed Republican candidate against Democratic Congressman Tim Walz, has launched his first television ad this week and Walz also released a new TV spot.

Both ads focus on energy policy and oil drilling and both show the candidate standing by a fuel pump. But they’re very different in style.

Walz’s ad, after a brief criticism of the “Bush energy plan” working for “the big oil companies”, simply calls for a balanced approach to the nation’s energy problem, including increased oil production, renewable energy and investments in new energy technology. It makes no mention of Davis.

Davis’ ad is a direct attack on Walz and could be seen as misleading in places.

Davis tells viewers Walz is “against drilling for oil in Alaska and off-shore.” Walz opposes drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which makes up less than 2 percent of the total area of Alaska. He also is co-sponsor of a bill that would allow off-shore drilling, although it has restrictions including on how close to shore the drilling can occur.

And Davis, immediately after criticizing Walz, says “I’m not a career politician.”

Walz, a former school teacher, was first elected to public office less than two years ago.

The Walz campaign denounced the ad as “the same old negative attacks.”

Davis defended it.

“I thought it was fair and accurate and it was direct,” he said. “I wouldn’t characterize it as negative.”

Primary opponents visit Mankato

Davis and state Sen. Dick Day, his Republican opponent in the Sept. 9 primary election, were both in Mankato Tuesday. Both spoke to the leaders of the Minnesota Farm Bureau in the 1st District, seeking the organization’s endorsement.

Davis said Bureau officials indicated it was unlikely that an endorsement would come before the primary election.

Day, who also met with some local business owners, said he’s uncertain how his low-budget grassroots campaign is matching up with Davis, who has the voter lists and other organizational advantages that come with the party’s endorsement.

“I’m doing like I always do — run like I’m behind,” said Day, who has won six elections to the state senate, along with three others to the Owatonna City Council and Steele County Board.

From the DNC

Lori Sellner was the only area Democrat in Denver for the start of the convention, with Walz planning to attend only the final two days.

The speech by Sen. Ted Kennedy, who is a party icon but whose appearance at the DNC was in doubt because of a malignant brain tumor, was the highlight of the first night, Sellner said.

“We weren’t even sure he was going to be there,” Sellner said. “So when he came out, it was just electric.”

A Sleepy Eye resident and the chairwoman of the 1st District DFL, Sellner is anticipating a very long wait at the stadium tonight after the conclusion of Obama’s speech. It’s slow going even when exiting the basketball arena that served as the convention’s home for the first three nights.

“I’m still wondering about Invesco, getting 75,000 people in and out,” she said.