Democrats and other supporters of Barack Obama will be gathering at Minnesota State University and in 13 other locations around Minnesota to watch his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention tonight.

The Mankato “Convention Watch Party” will be in rooms 253 and 255 of the Centennial Student Union at MSU. No time was listed for the start of the party, but the biographical/promotional video for Obama is scheduled to be aired at 9 p.m. and the nominee’s acceptance speech, expected to last 35 to 40 minutes, will follow.

The speech will be made before an anticipated crowd of more than 70,000 at Invesco Field, the stadium that serves as the home of the Denver Broncos.

Davis, Walz on the air

The complete domination of the campaign ad wars in southern Minnesota by Obama, John McCain, Norm Coleman and Al Franken has come to an end. Dr. Brian Davis, the endorsed Republican candidate against Democratic Congressman Tim Walz, has launched his first television ad this week and Walz also released a new TV spot.

Both ads focus on energy policy and oil drilling and both show the candidate standing by a fuel pump. But they’re very different in style.

Walz’s ad, after a brief criticism of the “Bush energy plan” working for “the big oil companies”, simply calls for a balanced approach to the nation’s energy problem, including increased oil production, renewable energy and investments in new energy technology. It makes no mention of Davis.

Davis’ ad is a direct attack on Walz and could be seen as misleading in places.

Davis tells viewers Walz is “against drilling for oil in Alaska and off-shore.” Walz opposes drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which makes up less than 2 percent of the total area of Alaska. He also is co-sponsor of a bill that would allow off-shore drilling, although it has restrictions including on how close to shore the drilling can occur.

And Davis, immediately after criticizing Walz, says “I’m not a career politician.”

Walz, a former school teacher, was first elected to public office less than two years ago.

The Walz campaign denounced the ad as “the same old negative attacks.”

Davis defended it.

“I thought it was fair and accurate and it was direct,” he said. “I wouldn’t characterize it as negative.”

Primary opponents visit Mankato