MONTICELLO, Minn. - Patty Wetterling locked down the DFL endorsement in the 6th District on Saturday, setting up what promises to be a rip-roaring battle for Congress with the GOP's conservative candidate, Michele Bachmann.
Wetterling, who became a national advocate for missing and exploited children after her 11-year-old son vanished in 1989, is making a second run in the Republican-leaning district.
It took her am entire afternoon to beat former state transportation commissioner, Elwyn Tinklenberg, for the party's backing. On the seventh ballot, she was just two votes shy of the 82 delegates needed for endorsement.
Tinklenberg then conceded, and the delegates unanimously backed Wetterling.
"The goal here is to defeat Michele Bachmann," Wetterling said before the last round of voting. "She's bad for the district. She's bad for America. She's bad for families. She's bad for children. She's bad for everything I've ever believed in."
