[JohnnyZ]

there is no way Oberstar's district is going Republican in the next 20 years at least.

I dunno 'bout that. The Iron Range is shifting more Republican because of social issues, unions be damned. And the southern part of the district is becoming suburbanized.

It'll certainly be doable if Republicans control the next round of redistricting. Maybe the DFL will experience a rebirth, but my guess is things are gonna get a bit worse for them before they get better.

[decimalsanddollars]

I don't see how it's getting more Republican, it voted for Mondale and Moe and just about every state senator and representative from there is a Democrat, (maybe even every one period), and they usually win elections often getting around 70%+. If a Democrat there is pro-life and pro-gun, they're pretty much unbeatable, and even if they aren't, they'll probably still win anyway (note the victories for Gore and everyone I mentioned). But I think the biggest problem is lack of good candidates, since just about every elected official is a Democrat. If the GOP could control redistricting it could be done, but they would have to make the suburban districts or the west more vulnerable as a result. And of course if Oberstar retires before 2012 a Democrat will win the seat and will hold it for another 30 years.