DFL maps out bus tour to conclude 2012 campaign

House and Senate DFL leaders Rep. Paul Thissen and Sen. Tom Bakk plan on finishing the 2012 campaign with a bus tour of the state that will include Gov. Mark Dayton and DFL Chairman Ken Martin.

Wednesday morning will feature visits to western suburban Edina (SD 49) and Minnetonka (SD 44) before they attend a rally at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. In the afternoon they will attend a GOTV rally in the targeted swing race in Coon Rapids (SD 36) before heading to the Republican stronghold Buffalo (SD 29).

The group will kick things off on Thursday morning and afternoon in the DFL strongholds of St. Paul, Duluth and Cloquet. They will drop into the northern St. Paul suburbs in Little Canada (SD 42) and Oakdale (HD 43) on Thursday night, where Republicans have shown an interest in challenging DFL seats.

Friday will feature stops in southeastern Minnesota. The morning includes stops in Red Wing (SD 21) and Faribault (SD 24). In the afternoon and evening the group will travel to Rochester (SD 26), Albert Lea (SD 27) and Mankato (SD 19).

On Saturday the group will venture to central and Western Minnesota. Stops include St. Cloud (SD 14) and Willmar (SD 17) in the morning and Morris (SD 12), Moorhead (SD 4) and Mahnomen (SD 2) in the afternoon and evening.

Sunday is scheduled for northern Minnesota and the Iron Range. The trip will be heavy on stops in the new Senate District 5 where three Republican incumbents were paired in redistricting against three incumbent DFLers. The SD 5 stops are in Bemidji, Cass Lake and Grand Rapids. The stint also features a stop in Red Lake in House District 2A where first term Republican Rep. Dave Hancock in being challenged by DFL teacher from Baudette Roger Erickson. Also on Sunday, the group will make a stop on the Iron Range in Hibbing (SD 6) before finishing the day in Brainerd (SD 10).

On the day before the election the group will campaign in the Twin Cities suburbs starting with the battleground SD 51 in Eagan. They will finish off the morning in Apple Valley (SD 57) where DFLers are touting former local school superintendent Greg Clausen in the GOP-leaning open seat that’s being vacated by Republican Sen. Chris Gerlach. Clausen faces Pat Hall, the brother of incumbent GOP Sen. Dan Hall.

The group will rally college students in Northfield (SD 20) before returning in the afternoon to the suburbs in the Eden Prairie (SD 48) and finishing the trip at the Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota.