Hard fought 5th District congressional primary in the final stretch.

The battle to replace retiring Congressman Martin Olav Sabo is running at a fevered pitch in the Minnesota's 5th district. While Sabo endorsed his longtime aid, the DFL party gave its official blessing to someone else. Now it's a horse race, one that's playing out in yard signs, billboards, TV ads, websites, blogs, parades, festivals and debates.

The 5th, comprised of Minneapolis and first ring suburbs, is considered one of the most Democratic districts in the nation. And while the Republican, Independence and Green parties will also have names on the ballot in November they'll be considered instant underdogs to the Democratic nominee.

Sabo's chief of staff Mike Erlandson, who also served for years as the state DFL chairman, was the odds-on favorite when Sabo decided to retire last spring. But at the 5th District nominating convention, State Rep. Keith Ellison handily won the DFL endorsement.

Erlandson chose to carry his campaign into the September primary. Former state senator Ember Reichgott Junge and Minneapolis city council member Paul Ostrow also threw their hats into the ring. A fifth Democrat, Patrick Wiles, will also be on the primary ballot but hasn't mounted an aggressive campaign.

Erlandson told KARE-TV Thursday that he's upbeat heading into the final stretch.

"I feel great about the campaign. Obviously it's great to get the endorsement of the Star Tribune just a couple days ago, based on the issues we've been running on here."

Erlandson's TV ad campaign has touched on the war in Iraq, gas prices, mass transit and crime. But they've stressed his experience running Sabo's office in Washington.

In one ad, the light rail transit line is seen moving past an Erlandson billboard. The viewer is told Erlandson helped secure funding for the LRT while on Sabo's staff. As the trains move faster the narrators asks, "Considering how fast the world is moving don't we need a represenative's who's already up to speed?"

Reichgott Junge, on the other hand, has devoted her TV spots to national universal health care. In the ads she describes the struggles of family members.

"My mom, she struggled with home health care, and my dad with expensive prescription drugs," she says into the camera. In fact, if you ask Reichgott Junge about Keith Ellison she'll quickly change the subject to health care, as she did Thursday night in an interview with KARE.

"We feel momentum. I feel from the people a connection, that they really want to see universal health care. They know I'm passionate about that."

Ostrow used his TV ad time to take a poke at Keith Ellison for his unpaid parking tickets, which was widely reported in metro newspapers during the summer. In the ad, Ostrow is seen talking on the phone with his mother as he walks up and plugs a parking meter.

"I always do what's right mom," Ostrow says as he drops a quarter into the slot.

Ellison hasn't made any TV ad buys yet, spending his money instead on targetted mailings.

"We know who the voters are," said Dave Colling of the Ellison campaign, "And we're taking the message directly to them."

So far five glossy full color flyers have arrived in 5th District mailboxes, including one Thursday featuring a photo of Ellison with the late Senator Paul Wellstone.

On Thursday night Ellison could be found at a PTA forum at Field Community School in South Minneapolis, along with all the other candidates.

"The people who promoted No Child Left Behind are hostile to public education! They don't like public schools. They prefer vouchers, charter schools, privatization," Ellison told the crowd of parents and campaign supporters.

The theme of the night was education, and none of the candidates left any doubt they support public education.

"We need to blow up No Child Left Behind and start over," said Ostrow.

Reichgott Junge, who spent 18 years on the education committee in the Minnesota senate, added, "They have underfunded No Child Left Behind by $40 billion in just 5 years!"

But the talk often turned to war, when Ostrow said the federal government's priorities aren't straight.

"We have plenty of money to invest in a war that we never should have started, and we don't have money for our kids."

Erlandson added, "Wer'e spending 10 billion dollars a month on this war that's all deficit spending going on the very backs of the children we're not helping."

Ellison, the first candidate in the race to call for an immediate withdrawl of US forces in Iraq, repeated that call when asked what's the first thing he'd do if elected.

"I would work on bringing the troops home as soon as possible--" he interrupted himself, "Well right now. Which would be my position all along."

He continued, "I'd work on, in connection with that, holding the President accountable."

Ellison went on to say he'd want Congress to consider impeaching President Bush.

"Whether there's a real basis, and I believe there is, to begin impeachment proceedings against the president."

The winner of Tuesday's primary will face Republican Alan Fine, the Independence Party's Tammy Lee and the Green Party's Jay Pond in November. By John Croman, KARE 11 News.

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