Mayo Clinic physician Brian Davis (R) won his party’s 1st district Congressional endorsement on Saturday, defeating state Rep. Randy Demmer (R). According to a tally from the state party, Davis defeated Demmer on the first ballot, 160 to 60 votes.

A third candidate, state Sen. Dick Day (R), decided not to participate in the party’s endorsement process and will face Davis in the Sept. 9 primary. The GOP nominee will challenge freshman Rep. Tim Walz (D) in November.

“Brian Davis is a great choice for the people of southern Minnesota, and I look forward to working with him to retire Tim Walz from Congress,” said Mark Drake, a spokesman for the Minnesota Republican Party.”On issue after issue, Dr. Davis represents a sharp contrast to a far-left liberal like Walz.”

Walz defeated six-term Rep. Gil Gutknecht (R) by about 15,000 votes in 2006. The district, however, voted for the Republican presidential nominee in both 2000 and 2004, making it a potential GOP pickup opportunity in 2008.
— Shira Toeplitz