DFLer Jim Graves announces bid for the 6th District

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A rematch looks likely in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District: Democrat Jim Graves has announced that he plans to run for the seat again in 2014.

Graves’ campaign manager, Aaron Wells, confirmed his plans to the St. Cloud Times Thursday morning. Graves, a hotel executive from St. Cloud, nearly beat Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann last fall for the seat , which covers the northern Twin Cities suburbs and St. Cloud. Graves lost by less than 5,000 votes on Nov. 6, the closest any Democrat has come to toppling Bachmann.

The district typically votes Republican, but Bachmann spent more than $11 million on the race last fall following a failed bid for the GOP presidential nomination.

“These days Congress is all about scoring political points rather than actually solving problems and Minnesota’s 6th District – my home – is losing out because of that more than anywhere,” Graves said in a statement announcing his run. “I’m not interested in celebrity, only in solutions.”

Minutes after Graves’ announcement, Bachmann sent out a fundraising email to supporters and released a video titled “Jim Graves is Back.”