This post relies on reporting by my Minnesota Monitor teammate Joe Bodell as well as my own.

There’s a fresh wave of discussion in Washington and Minnesota of the possibility that U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad may change his announced retirement plans and seek another term instead.

A very good source of mine has stated that this active reconsideration is occurring. My colleague Joe Bodell has the same information from a different Capitol Hill source.

Rep. Jim McCrery of Louisiana, the ranking Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, has decided to retire. Ramstad, who has been on the key committee for years, currently ranks three seniority notches lower, but could be offered the ranking position as an inducement to stay. It could also give Ramstad something on which to publicly hang a decision to unretire.

Although Ramstad announced in September his plans to retire, Black Ink reported on Oct. 10 that he was reconsidering and that the National Republican Congressional Committee was urging him to seek another term. At that Time, Ramstad, put out a non-denial denial that said he had “no plans” to seek another term, but he never issued the kind of Shermanesque statement that would have closed the door on the matter and has not commented on it since.

I have emailed Ramstad’s top aides for comment within the past hour but have not heard back.Ramstad, nine-term incumbent who has easily won reelection in his suburban Minneapolis district, would be favored to win another term. But without him, the seat is rated as a toss-up or, at best from the Republican point of view, a seat that would require a large investment to keep. Republicans have held that seat since 1960. But Washington Post political handicapper Chris Cillizza recently listed the seat as the third most likely Republican-held seat to switch parties next year. Congressional Quarterly recently rated the race a toss-up.

The Repubs have a lot of vulnerable seats to defend and a shortage of campaign cash. The incentive to keep Ramstad on the ticket is strong, but it wasn’t clear what they could offer to induce him. The promotion to ranking member of the House’s most influential committee could be it. Joe Bodel’’s source says that the Repubs could easily arrange to promote Ramstad ahead of the two more senior members, Wally Herger of California and Dave Herger of Michigan.

State Sen. Terri Bonoff has been dubbed the frontrunner for the DFL endorsement to run for the Ramstad seat, but Edina Mayor Jim Hovland and Iraq vet Ashwin Madia are also serious DFL contenders.

On the Repub side, state Rep. Erik Paulsen has been considered the likely candidate and he has established a federal campaign committee but he has not formally announced. Was this an indication that he was waiting for final word from Ramstad? Paulsen worked for Ramstad some years ago and has been described as a Ramstad protege.