Many Capitol habitués with and without election certificates complain that the committee structure of recent years has created a more frenzied process that stretches legislators too thin and is too hard for lobbyists to follow.

Tarryl Clark raised $30,000 over the weekend from 800 donors in order to air a commercial attacking incumbent U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann over her comments about BP and the Gulf Coast oil spill, according to the Democratic challenger's campaign.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has added Tarryl Clark's campaign for Congress to its "Red-to-Blue" program, signifying that the DCCC believes that Clark can unseat Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann in November.

Maureen Reed sent out a letter today to supporters questioning whether Tarryl Clark can be elected in the Sixth Congressional District. Reed is piggybacking on Republican attacks in recent days over Clark's deciding vote in favor of a Senate proposal to boost the state's top income tax bracket.

At least five Republicans are seeking to challenge U.S. Rep. Tim Walz in the First Congressional District. GOP activists will gather in Mankato on Saturday to determine which candidate gets the party's endorsement.

Maureen Reed raised just over $200,000 in the first three months of 2010 for her campaign to defeat U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann. Reed finished the quarter with $433,000 cash on hand. The medical doctor also announced that she intends to loan her campaign an additional $250,000 to assist the effort.

In 2008, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann won re-election by just four percentage points in the state's most GOP-friendly congressional district. The flamboyant Republican was nearly undone in the waning days of the campaign by comments suggesting that there should be an inquiry into which members of Congress hold "anti-American" views. But there was another factor at play in the race: Independence Party candidate Bob Anderson.

Maureen Hackett, who is seeking the Democratic endorsement to challenge first-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-Minn., has been endorsed by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Minnesota State Council.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will host a fundraising event in Minneapolis April 7 for U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., who is seeking her third term in the House.

Maureen Reed and Tarryl Clark both unveiled maps in the last 24 hours of U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann's travels across the country. The gist of the message from the DFL congressional challengers: Bachmann is more interested in raising her national profile than working on behalf of constituents in the 6th Congressional District.