For the first time in eight years, Minnesota's Independence Party has no candidate running in the Sixth Congressional District race. Democrat Jim Graves says the lack of a third party candidate will help him with moderate voters. But Graves is clearly an underdog in his challenge of incumbent Republican Michele Bachmann.

Rep. Michele Bachmann, the polarizing Minnesota Republican and Tea Party favorite, is often in more than her share of headlines. She is generating even more attention in the final sprint to Election Day – and so is her opponent, DFL businessman Jim Graves – as the national media shine a spotlight on Bachmann's tightest race yet.

Hotel magnate Jim Graves, the Democratic challenger to Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., is worth between $22 million and $111 million, according to financial disclosure forms, but he says he is not going to rely on self-funding his campaign. Bachmann has pounced on her opponent's wealth in an effort to rally her supporters and raise money.

An internal poll taken by the Democratic challenger shows U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann's lead over Jim Graves has shrunk to two percentage points, which is within the poll's margin of error. The Bachmann campaign says the poll lacks credibility. The Graves camp says it shows fallout from Bachmann's claims about the Muslim Brotherhood and its influence in Washington.

Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann has agreed to three debates with her DFL opponent Jim Graves on the week before the Nov. 6 election, the St. Cloud Times reports. However, the Graves campaign is pushing the three-term Congresswoman to have more than just three debates. “It frustrates me that Bachmann was willing to give 15 debates during her presidential campaign," Jim Graves said. The first public debate is set for Oct. 30 in St. Cloud.

The first debate between Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., and DFL challenger Jim Graves featured sharp exchanges on a variety of topics: the St. Croix Crossing bridge project near Stillwater, Obamacare, and Bachmann's celebrity.

A new poll finds Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann with a lead of nine percentage points over her Democratic challenger, Jim Graves. It was released just after a national Democratic committee listed the contest as one of the party's best chances to capture a House seat now held by the GOP. Meanwhile, Bachmann maintains a big fund-raising advantage over her rival.

It's not the first time Republican Arne Carlson has endorsed a Democrat -- in fact, the state's Republican chairman considers Carlson an independent liberal. But his backing is seen as a boost to Democrat Jim Graves in his challenge of Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.