Bill Clinton endorses Tarryl Clark in Minnesota’s 8th District

Former President Bill Clinton took sides Friday in the contentious Democratic primary for Minnesota's 8th District, voicing support for former state Sen. Tarryl Clark.

"From her work with the Children's Defense Fund and Legal Services' Senior Law Project, to her commitment to coalition building while leading the state's Community Action Partnership, Tarryl's focus for almost 25 years has been improving Minnesota," Clinton said in his announcement Friday. "I am confident she will bring the common-sense solutions we need to Washington."

Clark is competing against former Rep. Rick Nolan and Duluth City Councilor Jeff Anderson in the Aug. 14 Democratic primary to take on Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack this fall. Both parties mark this general election race as one of the most hotly contested in the country.

Clinton has been wading into competitive primaries this cycle, offering support to loyalists including Rep. Mark Critz in Pennsylvania's 12th District, Rep. Brad Sherman in California's 30th and Rep. Bill Pascrell in New Jersey's 9th District. All three faced or will face a fellow House colleague in their primary contest.