By GREGORY J. KRIEG
Sept. 26, 2012

Less than a year ago, Rep. Michele Bachmann was traveling the country, making her case to be the Republican Party’s presidential nominee. Today, six weeks out from that long-awaited election, she’s caught in an unexpectedly tight race to keep her seat in Congress.

Bachmann’s challenger, Minnesota hotel magnate Jim Graves, 58, entered the fray in early April, quickly rallying state Democrats to his side and, perhaps more importantly, convincing Independence Party leaders and candidates to stay out of the mix, putting as …

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Wednesday rolled out its next wave of top-tier recruits in the party’s uphill battle to regain the House majority in November.

The so-called “Red-to-Blue” candidates — who the party deems as the contenders in the most winnable races this fall — are concentrated in states where Democrats believe they won the edge in redistricting, such as California, Illinois and New York. The DCCC announced 13 new Red-to-Blue-candidates on Wednesday, bringing the total to 51.

“They are not about ideology,” DCCC Chairman …

National Democrats added Jim Graves, the businessman challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann in the 6th District, to their list of candidates to watch on Wednesday.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee put Graves on its list of “emerging races,” signifying races that could potentially become competitive. Graves is still a step below the DCCC’s Red-to-Blue program which provides fundraising and behind-the-scenes support to top tier candidates in especially competitive districts (2nd District Democrat Mike Obermueller is in the Red-to-Blue program).

Graves will need all the fundraising help …

Jim Graves, the hotelier looking to unseat 6th Congressional District Rep. Michele Bachmann this fall, has earned a spot on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s list of competitive races.

The DCCC raises and spends money to help Democrats get elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and has identified Minnesota’s 6th as a race that’s increasingly competitive.

That means Graves’ campaign has met certain infrastructure and organizational goals to merit national funds and attention.

“We are honored to have the support of the DCCC,” Graves said in a …

Bachmann’s challenger tells Salon the Congresswoman’s anti-Muslim campaign is “disgusting” and “dangerous”

BY ALEX SEITZ-WALD

Jim Graves is a wealthy Minneapolis hotelier who got so fed up with Rep. Michele Bachmann that he decided to run against her. The Democratic nominee talks with Salon about why he thinks Bachmann’s “disgusting” and “dangerous” Muslim witch hunt that may cost her her political career.

What’s your reaction to what we’ve been calling Bachmann’s “witch hunt” against Muslims in the government?

It’s definitely a witch hunt. It’s really terrible. It’s really disgusting. It’s horrible. I …

Seemingly every cycle, a new Democratic challenger to Rep. Michele Bachmann gains just enough traction to prompt stories about whether the congresswoman will finally face a significant re-election threat. He or she inevitably falls short. But now that even Republicans are backing away from the firebrand tea party favorite in light of her recent crusade against a popular aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Bachmann’s Democratic challenger says his campaign has gotten a huge surge of momentum.

Bachmann’s baffling quest to root out Muslim infiltrators …