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James L. Oberstar is the dean of the Minnesota congressional delegation with 14 terms under his belt. If he wins again, he'll be the longest-serving member of Congress in Minnesota's history. The seniority has brought a powerful committee position and more clout than other politicians from the state. He has an independent streak and is perceived as something of a maverick.
Creole-speaking Oberstar, who served the U.S. Navy in Haiti, came to the House in 1974, seeking to succeed Rep. John Blatnik, his former employer. He lost the DFL endorsement for the seat to state Sen. Tony Perpich, but ran in the primary and defeated Perpich handily.
He had few serious challenges in his subsequent re-election bids. In 1984, he lost a primary bid for the U.S. Senate.
In the 107th Congress, Oberstar remained the senior Democrat on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, where he has earned a reputation for bringing home the bacon. As of late, he's been a central figure in the debate over how to make air travel safer in a post-Sept. 11 world.
Oberstar is a critic of the Transportation Security Adminstration, saying it has moved to slow to enhance baggage screening and put federal employees at check points.
Although he's in his late 60s, Oberstar hasn't slowed a bit. He loves to ride a bike and last year he logged 2,630 miles. He likes biking so much that he's joined with other members of Congress to form a bike lobby. And he's helped Congress quadruple spending on bike projects in the last decade to nearly $2 billion, which has helped build 20,000 miles of bike trails, put bike racks on buses and establish safety programs.
His district is one of the nation's largest. It stretches north from Chisago and Isanti counties in east-central Minnesota, through Duluth and the Iron Range to the Canadian border. He opposes abortion and is against the death penalty.
The liberal Americans for Democratic Action gave Oberstar's 2000 voting record 75 points out of 100; the American Conservative Union gave him 8 points.
Campaigns
James Oberstar was elected to the U.S. House in 1974 with 62 percent of the vote. He has been re-elected 13 times, all with ease. Oberstar's two most recent contests are prime examples. In 1998 he defeated Republican Jerry Shuster with 66 percent of the vote in a race that also featured Stan "The Man" Estes.
In the 2000 general election he faced another nicknamed challenger, "Cowboy" Bob Lemen, a native Texan who has settled in Grand Rapids. He beat Lemen with 68 percent of the vote. He outspent Lemen $1 million to $22,000.
Lemen is his challenger again in 2002.
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