Madia wins!

After hours of votes and repeat votes and what many feared would be another democratic stalemate, Iraq war veteran and lawyer Ashwin Madia became the endorsed DFL candidate for the 3rd Congressional District Saturday evening. He will face conservative Republican senator Erik Paulsen in the general election.

Often viewed as the underdog in the race against state senator Terri Bonoff, Madia, 30, secured the nomination after Bonoff gracefully stepped aside when the marine, whose only real legislative experience stems from a stint as the undergraduate student body president at the University of Minnesota, achieved 57.8 percent of the available votes during the 8th round of ballots.

Saturday's convention brought out hundreds of Madia and Bonoff supporters who want to see change in Washington. The Third District congressional seat has been a Republican stronghold for decades, and currently houses well loved outgoing Republican Jim Ramstad.

But, with the residents of district (Brooklyn Park, Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Edina, Maple Grove, Plymouth and Wazata) moving more to the left in the past few years, the DFL sees this seat as a crucial pickup spot and race has been closely followed in Minnesota and nation wide.

For the story behind Madia's unprecedented success pick up City Pages this week.