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Capitol View®
Mark Zdechlik

U.S. Chamber backs McFadden in MN U.S. Senate race

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Monday endorsed Republican Mike McFadden's campaign against DFL Sen. Al Franken and said Minnesota's Senate race will be one of its top priorities this fall.

The chamber's national political director Rob Engstrom announced the endorsement at a manufacturing plant in Burnsville.  Engstrom said McFadden has a good shot at defeating Franken.

"We believe Mike's a great candidate and we believe Sen. Franken is incredibly vulnerable, said Engstrom. "Look, he barely won in a wave election year for President Obama."

Engstrom would not say how much money the U.S. chamber will spend promoting McFadden's candidacy if McFadden wins next week's GOP primary.  McFadden won the Republican endorsement but State rep. Jim Abeler and  Iraq war  veteran David Carlson are waging primary campaigns against him.

Engstrom said the chamber spent about $1 million in 2008 supporting Republican Sen. Norm Coleman's unsuccessful reelection campaign. Engstrom said the 2014 race is important to the chamber.

"This race is a top ten target for the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, so goes Minnesota, so goes the United States Senate as you look at issues that matter to our membership.," Engstrom said.

The Franken campaign said it had no comment on the chamber endorsement. Franken won election in 2008 after a recount concluded he had  just 312 more votes than Coleman.