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WASHINGTON — Rep. John Kline has beaten Democratic challenger Steve Sarvi, surviving a Democratic onslaught that saw some of Kline’s GOP colleagues swept out of office.
The race pitted two military veterans against each other, but the veterans issue was hardly neutralized. Sarvi criticized Kline for not doing enough for veterans during his six years in Congress, but wasn’t able to unseat the incumbent Tuesday. Kline easily outdistanced Sarvi 220,926 votes to 164,079 votes or 57 percent to 43 percent.
Kline countered that he had a good record on the issue, such as sponsoring legislation to extend nationwide a Minnesota program to help troops adjust to coming home after serving overseas.
Democrats knew that they faced an uphill battle in the conservative 2nd Congressional District, which hugs the southern edge of the Twin Cities and runs through the cities of Red Wing, Zumbrota, Faribault and Le Sueur.
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Kline first won the seat in 2002.
"I am grateful the men and women of Minnesota’s 2nd District have given me the opportunity, once again, to represent them in Washington," Kline said. "I will continue to lead the fight in the 111th Congress to fix what is broken in Washington. I will press on to end wasteful pork-barrel spending. I will fight for an all-of-the-above energy policy that lowers costs and reduces our dependence on foreign oil. I will champion our veterans of today and tomorrow and ensure they receive the benefits they deserve."
