A Tamer Tom Emmer Closes Out Freshman Year In Congress

ST. PAUL - Republican Tom Emmer has a year under his belt as the congressman for a sprawling central Minnesota district.

And so far he's made a mark with a milder approach than he took as a vociferous state legislator who was close to becoming governor in 2010.

Emmer says he's found it more productive to be deliberate and realizes it is "really hard to build a bridge once you've burned a bridge."

At No. 393 in U.S. House seniority, Emmer knows he has time to bide before he's a bigger player.

In his first year in Washington, Emmer put his name to more than 160 bills as a chief sponsor or co-sponsor and has changed his tune on U.S. aid for foreign countries.

Emmer is seeking a second term in 2016.