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QUOTE OF NOTE: "I don't want to be glib, but I think in general, politics in the country...has become quite harsh and sometimes brutal. Debate is sharp, and people go after you."
GIL GUTKNECHT (R) District 1 (Southeast--Rochester; part of Mankato)
BORN: March 20, 1951, Cedar Falls, Iowa EDUCATION: U of Northern Iowa, B.A., 1973 FAMILY: Wife, Mary; three children RELIGION: Roman Catholic MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Real estate broker; school-supplies salesman; auctioneer POLITICAL CAREER: Minnesota House, 1983-94; U.S. House, 1994- ADDRESS: 1530 Greenview Drive, S.W., Suite 109, Rochester 55902. Tel.: 507-252-1450
Gutknecht has had to dodge a fusillade of negative ads in this campaign--not from challenger Mary Rieder but from the AFL-CIO, which targeted him as part of a $35 million effort to unseat G.O.P. freshmen nationwide. Still, Gutknecht says Medicare is growing too fast and favors proposals to slow spending on it. He has also vowed to take no more than a third of his funding from PACs.
THE ISSUES
Budget YES Medicare YES Defense YES Abortion YES Guns YES Gays NO Bosnia YES NAFTA YES Welfare YES Medical Leave NR (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)
QUOTE OF NOTE: [On Medicare] "The No. 1 worst thing we could do is to do nothing. The second worst thing would be to allow Medicare to become a political, partisan issue."
MARY RIEDER (D) District 1
BORN: Feb. 18, 1942, Grand Rapids, Mich. EDUCATION: Aquinas College, B.A., 1964; Iowa State U, Ph.D., 1973 FAMILY: Husband, Edmund; four children RELIGION: Roman Catholic MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Financial adviser; college professor; economic adviser; university official POLITICAL CAREER: None ADDRESS: P.O. Box 9250, Rochester 55903. Tel.: 507-545-2011 After dropping out of the 1994 primary due to lack of funds, Rieder is back, this time with more money. A Winona State University professor, Rieder wants to use her economics expertise to balance the budget. She won the endorsement of Hillary Clinton, who visited the district in September. Rieder has also renewed a 1994 campaign pledge she called "Buck the Debt," vowing to donate $1 from every campaign contribution to reduce the national debt.
THE ISSUES Budget NO Medicare NO Defense YES Abortion NO Guns YES Gays YES Bosnia NO NAFTA YES Welfare YES Medical Leave YES (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)
QUOTE OF NOTE: "America must recommit to its historic spirit of community...we will ultimately solve our nation's problems within our families and our communities."
DAVID MINGE (D) District 2 (Southwest--Willmar)
BORN: March 19, 1942, Clarkfield EDUCATION: St. Olaf College, B.A., 1964; U of Chicago, J.D., 1967 FAMILY: Wife, Karen Aaker; two children RELIGION: Lutheran MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Lawyer POLITICAL CAREER: U.S. House, 1992- ADDRESS: P.O. Box 364, Montevideo 56265. Tel.: 320-269-6382