It may be surprise to everyone in Democratic Farmer Labor Party that Ole Savior, a frequent candidate decided to file as Republican to run for Governor. Its latest stunt that Savior is pulling besides having an Elvis impostor as running mate.
I am sure after this, he will be banned from speaking at the next DFL state convention.
You could find the proof: Candidate Filing on Mark Ritchie’s website
Showing posts with label 2010 Governor Race. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2010 Governor Race. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Ballot result for GOP Endrosement for Governor
Here are results from Governor endorsement at yesterday’s Minnesota Republican Party State Convention in Minneapolis.
First Congressional District: Seifert 161 votes, Emmer 77 votes
Second Congressional District: Seifert 101 votes, Emmer 196 votes
Third Congressional District: Seifert 83 votes, Emmer 166 votes
Fourth Congressional District: Seifert 65 votes, Emmer 98 votes
Fifth Congressional District: Seifert 33 votes, Emmer 92 votes
Sixth Congressional District: Seifert 111 votes, Emmer 250 votes
Seventh Congressional District: Seifert 53 votes, Emmer 43 votes
Eighth Congressional District: Seifert 138 vote Emmer 95 votes
The result was: 53 percent went for Emmer on the first ballot, with nearly 43 percent for Seifert.
First Congressional District: Seifert 161 votes, Emmer 77 votes
Second Congressional District: Seifert 101 votes, Emmer 196 votes
Third Congressional District: Seifert 83 votes, Emmer 166 votes
Fourth Congressional District: Seifert 65 votes, Emmer 98 votes
Fifth Congressional District: Seifert 33 votes, Emmer 92 votes
Sixth Congressional District: Seifert 111 votes, Emmer 250 votes
Seventh Congressional District: Seifert 53 votes, Emmer 43 votes
Eighth Congressional District: Seifert 138 vote Emmer 95 votes
The result was: 53 percent went for Emmer on the first ballot, with nearly 43 percent for Seifert.
Friday, April 30, 2010
R.T. Rybak: Bigger holes to fill
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak looked back on his failed attempt to win the DFL's nod for governor and looked ahead to tackling the city's problems, including those nasty potholes.
By STEVE BRANDT, Star Tribune
Last update: April 28, 2010
His voice is still hoarse from last weekend's DFL convention, and R.T. Rybak is nursing it this week with mugs of tea.
Back in his Minneapolis City Hall office, he says he's relieved that two years of compartmentalizing his life between the duties of a mayor and the grind of campaigning for governor are over. He says that even focusing on potholes is refreshing.
"It's a little like taking a duplex and turning it into a single-family house," Rybak said this week, reflecting after finishing runner-up to House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher for DFL endorsement Saturday in Duluth. "I'm taking one side out of my brain and filling it with the other."
Does he still want to be governor? That depends on circumstances.
"I'm open to it,'' he said. "It won't have much to do with me having a personal ambition. If I died tomorrow, I would be incredibly fulfilled knowing I got to be mayor of Minneapolis. I don't need another notch on my professional belt.
"I ran for governor because the state was in such a mess and ... that jeopardizes everything we've accomplished, so whether I do something again will depend on large part on whether the state gets straightened out and whether the issues I care about get fixed."
What about Congress, if a Democrat there moved on?
Rybak, an early and tireless Barack Obama supporter, said he's not ruling anything out, but added: "My place in public service is as an executive and as far as Washington goes, I had a great opportunity to go to Washington when President Obama got elected. ... [My wife] Megan and I talked about that and we're Minnesotans."
Why he didn't get endorsed
He said a major factor in losing his endorsement bid was because he couldn't overcome the loyalty of super-delegates to Kelliher, whom he has pledged to support. Those were the convention's 190 state and federal elected and party officials.
Endorsements of her by Sen. John Marty and Rep. Tom Rukavina as they dropped out helped to seal the deal.
Others say that building trades' hostility to Rybak cost him votes, as well as his inability to convert his lead within a band of progressive Democrats known as ReNEW Minnesota to the 60 percent threshold needed to bind its bloc of delegates.
Some were surprised that he couldn't draw more overt support from Obama and his operatives. Rukavina's fiery speech also may have siphoned off some delegates early on. Some Rybakers complain privately that some Minneapolis legislators bad-mouthed his mayoralty.
Still, some say the urban mayor proved political viability statewide, and that it's no shame to finish second in a crowded field. "His ability to motivate and inspire people are tremendous attributes," said Dan McGrath, executive director of TakeAction Minnesota, a progressive political arm.
Training for the future
Rybak said his new statewide contacts will help Minneapolis at the state level, where a negative perception of the state's biggest city has sometimes prevailed.
He's also building some political chits. He'll return to Montgomery's Kolacky Days contest in July, not only for the rubber match in his kolacky-eating contest with that city's mayor, Mick McGuire, but also to stump in the parade for McGuire's legislative bid.
On a personal level, odds are that he might be spotted in an antique store as he restores equilibrium to his personal life. "Megan has built up many chits that I'm sure she'll cash in," he explained. You may also spot him training for the two or three triathlons he hopes to enter after limiting himself to one last summer while campaigning for mayor.
Inside City Hall, Rybak's relatively painless supplemental 2010 budget, which accommodates new state aid cuts, is expected to pass Friday. He'll go from there to meet with department heads to craft his 2011 proposal. Job creation and youth are tops on his agenda.
He's working with other mayors and business on regional competitiveness issues, working with St. Paul on developing green manufacturing jobs, and developing jobs from his homegrown food initiative. He's beating the bushes for more summer jobs for teens, reassessing the city's youth violence prevention effort, looking for college money for city high school graduates and working with others to revive the state's bid for competitively awarded federal school dollars.
"I planned to work on all of these issues some way. But it was unclear whether I'd be doing that as a mayor or a governor," he said. "Now it's quite clear that I'll be doing it from here and it's OK."
Steve Brandt • 612-673-4438
By STEVE BRANDT, Star Tribune
Last update: April 28, 2010
His voice is still hoarse from last weekend's DFL convention, and R.T. Rybak is nursing it this week with mugs of tea.
Back in his Minneapolis City Hall office, he says he's relieved that two years of compartmentalizing his life between the duties of a mayor and the grind of campaigning for governor are over. He says that even focusing on potholes is refreshing.
"It's a little like taking a duplex and turning it into a single-family house," Rybak said this week, reflecting after finishing runner-up to House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher for DFL endorsement Saturday in Duluth. "I'm taking one side out of my brain and filling it with the other."
Does he still want to be governor? That depends on circumstances.
"I'm open to it,'' he said. "It won't have much to do with me having a personal ambition. If I died tomorrow, I would be incredibly fulfilled knowing I got to be mayor of Minneapolis. I don't need another notch on my professional belt.
"I ran for governor because the state was in such a mess and ... that jeopardizes everything we've accomplished, so whether I do something again will depend on large part on whether the state gets straightened out and whether the issues I care about get fixed."
What about Congress, if a Democrat there moved on?
Rybak, an early and tireless Barack Obama supporter, said he's not ruling anything out, but added: "My place in public service is as an executive and as far as Washington goes, I had a great opportunity to go to Washington when President Obama got elected. ... [My wife] Megan and I talked about that and we're Minnesotans."
Why he didn't get endorsed
He said a major factor in losing his endorsement bid was because he couldn't overcome the loyalty of super-delegates to Kelliher, whom he has pledged to support. Those were the convention's 190 state and federal elected and party officials.
Endorsements of her by Sen. John Marty and Rep. Tom Rukavina as they dropped out helped to seal the deal.
Others say that building trades' hostility to Rybak cost him votes, as well as his inability to convert his lead within a band of progressive Democrats known as ReNEW Minnesota to the 60 percent threshold needed to bind its bloc of delegates.
Some were surprised that he couldn't draw more overt support from Obama and his operatives. Rukavina's fiery speech also may have siphoned off some delegates early on. Some Rybakers complain privately that some Minneapolis legislators bad-mouthed his mayoralty.
Still, some say the urban mayor proved political viability statewide, and that it's no shame to finish second in a crowded field. "His ability to motivate and inspire people are tremendous attributes," said Dan McGrath, executive director of TakeAction Minnesota, a progressive political arm.
Training for the future
Rybak said his new statewide contacts will help Minneapolis at the state level, where a negative perception of the state's biggest city has sometimes prevailed.
He's also building some political chits. He'll return to Montgomery's Kolacky Days contest in July, not only for the rubber match in his kolacky-eating contest with that city's mayor, Mick McGuire, but also to stump in the parade for McGuire's legislative bid.
On a personal level, odds are that he might be spotted in an antique store as he restores equilibrium to his personal life. "Megan has built up many chits that I'm sure she'll cash in," he explained. You may also spot him training for the two or three triathlons he hopes to enter after limiting himself to one last summer while campaigning for mayor.
Inside City Hall, Rybak's relatively painless supplemental 2010 budget, which accommodates new state aid cuts, is expected to pass Friday. He'll go from there to meet with department heads to craft his 2011 proposal. Job creation and youth are tops on his agenda.
He's working with other mayors and business on regional competitiveness issues, working with St. Paul on developing green manufacturing jobs, and developing jobs from his homegrown food initiative. He's beating the bushes for more summer jobs for teens, reassessing the city's youth violence prevention effort, looking for college money for city high school graduates and working with others to revive the state's bid for competitively awarded federal school dollars.
"I planned to work on all of these issues some way. But it was unclear whether I'd be doing that as a mayor or a governor," he said. "Now it's quite clear that I'll be doing it from here and it's OK."
Steve Brandt • 612-673-4438
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Behind the DFL scenes: Inside Thissen’s war room
by Betsy Sundquist, Politics in Minnesota
April 23,2010
Carrie Lucking warns a visitor before she leads the way through the doors that the smell is not pleasant
In fact, the word she uses is “rancid.”
Paul Thissen’s “war room” – which doubles as a hockey locker room when the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center isn’t bursting at the seams with DFLers – is still filled with sweaty hockey uniforms and other gear, most of it concealed behind black curtains set up by convention center staff.
Although the smell isn’t as easily eradicated as the hockey players who normally frequent the room, the volunteers and staff members filling the space this weekend have learned pretty quickly to ignore the distraction and buckle down to the task at hand: getting four-term state Rep. Thissen endorsed by the DFL as its chosen candidate to run for governor. (Arguably, political staffers and volunteers are one of the only groups of people more accustomed to working under occasionally rancid conditions than journalists.)
Thissen is generally considered the candidate poised to benefit if the two front-runners – Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher – deadlock in tomorrow’s endorsement battle or if either of them falters during the process.
“Here’s the scary, scary boys’ bathroom,” says Lucking, the Thissen campaign’s communications director, ushering a visitor past the campaign’s data bank, where six members of Thissen’s technical team are performing real-time data updates during the convention. “But look – there’s a sauna!”
The tech team members receive messages from the convention floor on changes in delegate identifications and are able to instantly enter them into a database. Lucking says Thissen’s isn’t the only gubernatorial campaign with a backstage data bank, but she believes it’s the one making the best use of technology this weekend.
This is also where Thissen’s “persuasion team” has set up shop. The campaign receives requests and questions from delegates on the floor on small cards marked “Thissen Persuasion.” One side of the card is filled out with information about the delegate (or alternate delegate), including his or her congressional district (and where he or she can be located on the floor), the subject of the issue and a description; the issue is also designated “tier 1” or “tier 2.” If it’s a tier 1 issue, either Thissen or his wife Karen handles it; all tier 2 requests are assigned to whatever member of the persuasion team specializes in the applicable issue.
The other side of the card has spaces for the “persuader” to make notes and record the outcome of the contact.
According to Lucking, the campaign had completed 300 “persuasions” by midday Friday.
Many of Thissen’s volunteers are family members of staffers. Terrie Vitali, whose daughter, Gia Vitali, is managing Thissen’s campaign, was stationed outside the entrance to the war room Friday afternoon, making sure anyone who entered was authorized to do so (and was wearing one of the obligatory green bracelets that identified them as a member of the inner circle).
Thissen has more than 100 people working on his behalf behind the scenes, and another 100 on the convention floor, Lucking says. “It’s amazing how when people meet Paul, they want to help,” she says. “There’s a lot of momentum here.”
How will that momentum translate into delegate support? Tune in tomorrow.
April 23,2010
Carrie Lucking warns a visitor before she leads the way through the doors that the smell is not pleasant
In fact, the word she uses is “rancid.”
Paul Thissen’s “war room” – which doubles as a hockey locker room when the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center isn’t bursting at the seams with DFLers – is still filled with sweaty hockey uniforms and other gear, most of it concealed behind black curtains set up by convention center staff.
Although the smell isn’t as easily eradicated as the hockey players who normally frequent the room, the volunteers and staff members filling the space this weekend have learned pretty quickly to ignore the distraction and buckle down to the task at hand: getting four-term state Rep. Thissen endorsed by the DFL as its chosen candidate to run for governor. (Arguably, political staffers and volunteers are one of the only groups of people more accustomed to working under occasionally rancid conditions than journalists.)
Thissen is generally considered the candidate poised to benefit if the two front-runners – Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher – deadlock in tomorrow’s endorsement battle or if either of them falters during the process.
“Here’s the scary, scary boys’ bathroom,” says Lucking, the Thissen campaign’s communications director, ushering a visitor past the campaign’s data bank, where six members of Thissen’s technical team are performing real-time data updates during the convention. “But look – there’s a sauna!”
The tech team members receive messages from the convention floor on changes in delegate identifications and are able to instantly enter them into a database. Lucking says Thissen’s isn’t the only gubernatorial campaign with a backstage data bank, but she believes it’s the one making the best use of technology this weekend.
This is also where Thissen’s “persuasion team” has set up shop. The campaign receives requests and questions from delegates on the floor on small cards marked “Thissen Persuasion.” One side of the card is filled out with information about the delegate (or alternate delegate), including his or her congressional district (and where he or she can be located on the floor), the subject of the issue and a description; the issue is also designated “tier 1” or “tier 2.” If it’s a tier 1 issue, either Thissen or his wife Karen handles it; all tier 2 requests are assigned to whatever member of the persuasion team specializes in the applicable issue.
The other side of the card has spaces for the “persuader” to make notes and record the outcome of the contact.
According to Lucking, the campaign had completed 300 “persuasions” by midday Friday.
Many of Thissen’s volunteers are family members of staffers. Terrie Vitali, whose daughter, Gia Vitali, is managing Thissen’s campaign, was stationed outside the entrance to the war room Friday afternoon, making sure anyone who entered was authorized to do so (and was wearing one of the obligatory green bracelets that identified them as a member of the inner circle).
Thissen has more than 100 people working on his behalf behind the scenes, and another 100 on the convention floor, Lucking says. “It’s amazing how when people meet Paul, they want to help,” she says. “There’s a lot of momentum here.”
How will that momentum translate into delegate support? Tune in tomorrow.
Ole Savior's pissed off blog and Rach's opinion
Rach's opinion on Ole Savior candidancy and his speech at 2010 DFL State Convention
I found this blog where Ole Savior was so pissed off for not winning endorsement. I was at the convention, no one was paying attention to him and was having conversations while Ole Savior was speaking. There was some heckles in alternate delegate seating area in upper deck at the DECC.
Some people have been telling me that Ole Savior wasn't serious candidate and usually going off topic and didn't sound too serious on his candidacy. I have seen him spoke at 2002 and 2006 DFL State Conventions, and he is just same old news.
He need to work on being realistic and serious. He need to start somewhere at bottom and work way up. He need to focus on what is most important to Minnesotans, need to start reading what is going at my work and talk with Minnesota Citizens instead of thinking about himself.
Next time if he is speaking at the convention, he need to wear a suit not a Vikings jersey and this isn't Vikings game. Convention was held at a hockey arena not a football stadium or Metrodome.
If he isn't too happy with DFL party, he oughta switch to different party. By the way where is proof that he is Minneapolis DFL Delegation Caucus chair? According to a friend who is involved with Minnepaolis DFL, Ole Savior have never been delegation caucus chair. He haven't been honest with the party.
If you was at DFL State Convention and heard him speaking, feel free to share your opinion.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
RESULTS FROM 2010 DFL STATE CONVENTION
I had problem trying to connect internet at Duluth Entrainment Convention Center during Democratic Farmer Labor Party State Convention. I had to get results off Politics in Minnesota website.
The endorsing for Governor went through six ballots but only five are available because sixth wasn’t due to Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak conceded and House Speaker Margret Anderson Kelliher was declared winner.
The balloting started at around 1:30PM until 11:00PM.
First Ballot
Rybak: 294.5 (21.7 percent)
Thissen: 254.5 (18.8 percent)
Rukavina: 249.5 (18.4 percent)
Marty: 175.5 (13 percent)
No endorsement: 6.5 (0.5 percent)
*Entenza: 3.5 (0.3 percent)
*Idusogie: 3 (0.2 percent)
*Savior: 0
* - dropped from endorsement consideration
Second ballot
Kelliher: 377.5 (27.8 percent)
Rybak: 332 (24.5 percent)
Thissen: 270 (19.9 percent)
Rukavina: 238 (17.6 percent)
Marty: 136 (10 percent)
No endorsement: 2.5 (0.2 percent)
Third ballot
Kelliher: 414.5 (30.7 percent)
Rybak: 370 (27.4 percent)
Thissen: 295 (21.8 percent)
Rukavina: 269 (19.9 percent)
No endorsement: 2.5 (0.2 percent)
Fourth ballot:
Kelliher: 437 (32.8 percent)
Rybak: 380.5 (28.6 percent)
Thissen: 285 (21.4 percent)
Rukavina: 226 (17 percent)
No endorsement: 4 (.3 percent)
Fifth ballot
Kelliher: 630.5 (46.9 percent)
Rybak: 434 (32.3 percent)
Thissen: 269.5 (20.1 percent
No endorsement: 9 (0.7 percent)
The endorsing for Governor went through six ballots but only five are available because sixth wasn’t due to Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak conceded and House Speaker Margret Anderson Kelliher was declared winner.
The balloting started at around 1:30PM until 11:00PM.
First Ballot
Rybak: 294.5 (21.7 percent)
Thissen: 254.5 (18.8 percent)
Rukavina: 249.5 (18.4 percent)
Marty: 175.5 (13 percent)
No endorsement: 6.5 (0.5 percent)
*Entenza: 3.5 (0.3 percent)
*Idusogie: 3 (0.2 percent)
*Savior: 0
* - dropped from endorsement consideration
Second ballot
Kelliher: 377.5 (27.8 percent)
Rybak: 332 (24.5 percent)
Thissen: 270 (19.9 percent)
Rukavina: 238 (17.6 percent)
Marty: 136 (10 percent)
No endorsement: 2.5 (0.2 percent)
Third ballot
Kelliher: 414.5 (30.7 percent)
Rybak: 370 (27.4 percent)
Thissen: 295 (21.8 percent)
Rukavina: 269 (19.9 percent)
No endorsement: 2.5 (0.2 percent)
Fourth ballot:
Kelliher: 437 (32.8 percent)
Rybak: 380.5 (28.6 percent)
Thissen: 285 (21.4 percent)
Rukavina: 226 (17 percent)
No endorsement: 4 (.3 percent)
Fifth ballot
Kelliher: 630.5 (46.9 percent)
Rybak: 434 (32.3 percent)
Thissen: 269.5 (20.1 percent
No endorsement: 9 (0.7 percent)
Friday, February 19, 2010
IT'S OFFICIAL: SIVARAJAH IS SEIFERT'S RUNNING MATE
By Rach Eggert, Rach's Political Report
State Representative Marty Seifert has chosen Rhonda Sivarajah
who is Anoka County Commissioner for 7 years as running mate. Seifert is first Governor candidate to officially announce who would candidate for Lt Governor.
It was surprising because many people thought that State Rep. Joyce Peppin would be top choice for the job but she was not selected.
State Representative Marty Seifert has chosen Rhonda Sivarajah
who is Anoka County Commissioner for 7 years as running mate. Seifert is first Governor candidate to officially announce who would candidate for Lt Governor.
It was surprising because many people thought that State Rep. Joyce Peppin would be top choice for the job but she was not selected.
Sivarajah is well known for her conservative point of view altough her job as County Commissioner for Anoka County District 6 is strictly nonpartisan.
You can read more about Ms. Sivarajah at her county website and Seifert-Sivarajah campaign website.
You can read more about Ms. Sivarajah at her county website and Seifert-Sivarajah campaign website.
She is married to a police officer, have two children but her son is deaf and lives in Lino Lakes.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Straw Poll for 2010 Minnesota Governor
I have posted 2010 Straw Poll for Minnesota Governor's race. All you do is look at right column, there are parties of your peference then you can vote for ONE candidate.
I am not taking any sides but would like to see which candidate people want to be Governor. David Hann isn't inculded because he has dropped out of race earlier today.
Voting will end at noon on March 1.
I am not taking any sides but would like to see which candidate people want to be Governor. David Hann isn't inculded because he has dropped out of race earlier today.
Voting will end at noon on March 1.
Hann drops out of Minnesota governor's race
PIONEER PRESS
Associated Press
Updated: 02/16/2010
Republican State Sen. David Hann is dropping out of the race for Minnesota governor and will seek re-election to his current office.
Hann's campaign manager Brad Biers said today that a poor showing on caucus night and other factors led to the decision. Hann doesn't plan to endorse one of his rivals.
Two Republicans are the leading contenders for the party's nomination. They are state Reps. Tom Emmer and Marty Seifert. Democrats have a much more crowded picture. Gov. Tim Pawlenty isn't seeking another term.
Hann is finishing his second term representing the Eden Prairie area. His seat is on the ballot in November.
Associated Press
Updated: 02/16/2010
Republican State Sen. David Hann is dropping out of the race for Minnesota governor and will seek re-election to his current office.
Hann's campaign manager Brad Biers said today that a poor showing on caucus night and other factors led to the decision. Hann doesn't plan to endorse one of his rivals.
Two Republicans are the leading contenders for the party's nomination. They are state Reps. Tom Emmer and Marty Seifert. Democrats have a much more crowded picture. Gov. Tim Pawlenty isn't seeking another term.
Hann is finishing his second term representing the Eden Prairie area. His seat is on the ballot in November.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Molnau endorses Emmer's candidacy for Minnesota governor
Pioneer Press
01/25/2010
Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau on Monday endorsed state Rep. Tom Emmer for governor, saying he's a strong leader who knows that "less government is better than more."
"If I didn't think there was a strong candidate in this race, I'd be there," Molnau said at a Capitol news conference.
Emmer, one of seven candidates seeking the Republican nomination for governor, said Molnau's endorsement shows his campaign is gaining momentum. He said he would seek her advice since she has been part of two successful statewide campaigns.
Molnau said she had not discussed her endorsement of Emmer with Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has said he plans to remain neutral in the race to succeed him.
She and Pawlenty are the only statewide elected Republican office holders in Minnesota.
Meanwhile, Rep. Marty Seifert announced that Republican National Committeewoman Evie Axdahl, of Maplewood, has joined his gubernatorial campaign's leadership team.
— Bill Salisbury
01/25/2010
Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau on Monday endorsed state Rep. Tom Emmer for governor, saying he's a strong leader who knows that "less government is better than more."
"If I didn't think there was a strong candidate in this race, I'd be there," Molnau said at a Capitol news conference.
Emmer, one of seven candidates seeking the Republican nomination for governor, said Molnau's endorsement shows his campaign is gaining momentum. He said he would seek her advice since she has been part of two successful statewide campaigns.
Molnau said she had not discussed her endorsement of Emmer with Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has said he plans to remain neutral in the race to succeed him.
She and Pawlenty are the only statewide elected Republican office holders in Minnesota.
Meanwhile, Rep. Marty Seifert announced that Republican National Committeewoman Evie Axdahl, of Maplewood, has joined his gubernatorial campaign's leadership team.
— Bill Salisbury
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Rybak mulls options for governor's race
Source: KARE 11
By John Croman
Minneapolis, MN -- There was never much suspense over the outcome of the mayoral election in this city Tuesday. The media focused on the new methodology -- ranked choice voting -- but when the polls opened there was no doubt voters would hand Mayor R.T. Rybak a third term.
He claimed 73 percent of the 45,000 votes cast, while 10 other candidates combined for the remaining share of the ballots. Even before the polls closed political journalists had already started to pepper Rybak with questions about his next move.
Will he run for governor? And how soon will he make it official? What does he make of his chances? Has he been running all along?
They were all questions he politely brushed aside out of respect for the campaign workers and supporters who had gathered at the Graves Hotel downtown to celebrate his re-election victory.
"One of the things we laid out a year ago is that I would be prepared to run for mayor and I would be prepared to run for Governor," Rybak told reporters, "And I've done all the preparations I should. And I'm in good shape on that."
Rybak said he would let the dust settle on the campaign that ended Tuesday night and get back to work on city issues in the short term.
"I'll be talking to people, and announcing my intentions in a couple of weeks."
For those who suggested Rybak risked his political capital by running for mayor while keeping his eyes on higher office, at least two political experts say it's not a factor in the Rybak equation.
"Many Minneapolis voters knew he was thinking about this," Larry Jacobs of the Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs at the U of M told KARE, "He's been pretty open about his interest in running for governor, and my hunch is he probably won't be damaged too much."
Hamline University's Dave Schultz said Rybak's commanding margin of victory in the mayoral race should put to rest any notion that his core supporters harbored any ill will about his dual focus.
"The question will be if campaigning for governor keeps him from solving any big issues inside the city of Minneapolis, and becomes the type of distraction that affects his job performance."
For Rybak, or anyone who wants to enter the wide open race for Governor in 2010, there's a risk of waiting too long to make a move. The election time clock has been accelerated by the DFL party's decision to hold its endorsing convention in April instead of June.
A dozen Democrats are already actively campaigning or considering a run, for the seat that Governor Tim Pawlenty will vacate in January of 2011. Schultz said that's one of the reasons Rybak kept the door open during his run for mayor.
"By getting those feelers out earlier, perhaps what he does is send a signal to supporters and donors not to commit to somebody else, because he may enter the race."
Jacobs pointed out that Rybak, at least on the face of it, will be starting behind.
"After all, his main competitors have been at this for months," Jacobs said, "They've got statewide organizations, quite a bit of money in the bank, and they're well prepared for the Democratic party's endorsement process which begins shortly."
Some of Rybak's critics point out he criticized Governor Tim Pawlenty for campaigning for Senator John McCain's presidential campaign and traveling frequently to raise his own presidential profile. How is that different, they ask, from what Rybak will be doing on the state level.
But Schultz points out Rybak's complaints about Pawlenty are that his national aspirations have impaired his ability to solve the state's structural budget problems.
"Mayor Rybak isn't complaining about the governor running for President," Schultz explained, "He going after him for what he sees as dereliction of duty."
If Rybak were to run, and win, it would break a long dry spell for Twin Cities Democrats in the governor's office. The last one elected was Wendell Anderson, who won in 1970 and again in 1974.
Jacobs concedes metropolitan mayors traditionally haven't found it easy to attract support in the state's more rural areas, and there are already two Iron Range lawmakers in the field of candidates. But, on the other hand, the state's demographic shifts toward urban areas given the Twin Cities metro added weight in a statwide race.
"There's much greater concentration of voters in this region," Jacobs remarked, "If Mayor Rybak can lock down the core of Minneapolis and Saint Paul and the ring suburbs it will give him a tremendous advantage."
By John Croman
Minneapolis, MN -- There was never much suspense over the outcome of the mayoral election in this city Tuesday. The media focused on the new methodology -- ranked choice voting -- but when the polls opened there was no doubt voters would hand Mayor R.T. Rybak a third term.
He claimed 73 percent of the 45,000 votes cast, while 10 other candidates combined for the remaining share of the ballots. Even before the polls closed political journalists had already started to pepper Rybak with questions about his next move.
Will he run for governor? And how soon will he make it official? What does he make of his chances? Has he been running all along?
They were all questions he politely brushed aside out of respect for the campaign workers and supporters who had gathered at the Graves Hotel downtown to celebrate his re-election victory.
"One of the things we laid out a year ago is that I would be prepared to run for mayor and I would be prepared to run for Governor," Rybak told reporters, "And I've done all the preparations I should. And I'm in good shape on that."
Rybak said he would let the dust settle on the campaign that ended Tuesday night and get back to work on city issues in the short term.
"I'll be talking to people, and announcing my intentions in a couple of weeks."
For those who suggested Rybak risked his political capital by running for mayor while keeping his eyes on higher office, at least two political experts say it's not a factor in the Rybak equation.
"Many Minneapolis voters knew he was thinking about this," Larry Jacobs of the Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs at the U of M told KARE, "He's been pretty open about his interest in running for governor, and my hunch is he probably won't be damaged too much."
Hamline University's Dave Schultz said Rybak's commanding margin of victory in the mayoral race should put to rest any notion that his core supporters harbored any ill will about his dual focus.
"The question will be if campaigning for governor keeps him from solving any big issues inside the city of Minneapolis, and becomes the type of distraction that affects his job performance."
For Rybak, or anyone who wants to enter the wide open race for Governor in 2010, there's a risk of waiting too long to make a move. The election time clock has been accelerated by the DFL party's decision to hold its endorsing convention in April instead of June.
A dozen Democrats are already actively campaigning or considering a run, for the seat that Governor Tim Pawlenty will vacate in January of 2011. Schultz said that's one of the reasons Rybak kept the door open during his run for mayor.
"By getting those feelers out earlier, perhaps what he does is send a signal to supporters and donors not to commit to somebody else, because he may enter the race."
Jacobs pointed out that Rybak, at least on the face of it, will be starting behind.
"After all, his main competitors have been at this for months," Jacobs said, "They've got statewide organizations, quite a bit of money in the bank, and they're well prepared for the Democratic party's endorsement process which begins shortly."
Some of Rybak's critics point out he criticized Governor Tim Pawlenty for campaigning for Senator John McCain's presidential campaign and traveling frequently to raise his own presidential profile. How is that different, they ask, from what Rybak will be doing on the state level.
But Schultz points out Rybak's complaints about Pawlenty are that his national aspirations have impaired his ability to solve the state's structural budget problems.
"Mayor Rybak isn't complaining about the governor running for President," Schultz explained, "He going after him for what he sees as dereliction of duty."
If Rybak were to run, and win, it would break a long dry spell for Twin Cities Democrats in the governor's office. The last one elected was Wendell Anderson, who won in 1970 and again in 1974.
Jacobs concedes metropolitan mayors traditionally haven't found it easy to attract support in the state's more rural areas, and there are already two Iron Range lawmakers in the field of candidates. But, on the other hand, the state's demographic shifts toward urban areas given the Twin Cities metro added weight in a statwide race.
"There's much greater concentration of voters in this region," Jacobs remarked, "If Mayor Rybak can lock down the core of Minneapolis and Saint Paul and the ring suburbs it will give him a tremendous advantage."
Somewhere, the next Jesse Ventura might be waiting
Independence Party says the time is right — but can't find a candidate
By Bill Salisbury, Pioneer Press
Updated: 11/04/2009
While a large pack of Democratic and Republican gubernatorial candidates has roamed across Minnesota for months clamoring for attention, the state's third and smallest "major party," the Independence Party, has yet to field a single credible contender.
State party chairman Jack Uldrich insists he isn't worried about not having a candidate yet. It's still early, and he has been talking to a "handful of eminently qualified individuals" who would be strong candidates, he said in an interview last week.
Uldrich is confident that one or more of what he considers "three leading candidates" will get into the race.
He declined to name them but said all three work in private business and have experience either "in government at the highest levels or in public policy circles."
They also "have resources of their own" — money, that is — to wage a competitive race, he said. That's important because the Independence Party never has had much money.
"I am 100 percent confident that we will have a very qualified candidate," Uldrich said.
In addition, Dean Barkley, the party's U.S. Senate candidate in 2008 and former Gov. Jesse Ventura's closest political adviser, said he is considering a run for governor.
"I am contemplating whether I want to strap on the knee pads one more time and start begging people to give me money," Barkley said. "I really don't like doing that. I've got to convince myself that I've got one more fight left in me, and I haven'tdone that yet."
To be competitive, he said, the Independence Party candidate must raise at least $2 million, enough to air TV ads in the month before the election. He said the party's past two candidates spent about $1 million and ran short of advertising money late in the race.
(Rahn Workcuff, a political unknown from Minneapolis, has filed with the state campaign finance board to run as an Independence Party candidate for governor. He has run for the Legislature at least twice and lost badly.)
Uldrich said he tried to recruit Jim Ramstad, but the popular former GOP congressman said he's "not interested in running at this time."
Whomever the Independence Party nominee is, Uldrich and Barkley agree he or she will have a good shot at winning next year.
Why? "Because people have become completely disgusted with the other two parties," Barkley said. "It's been growing and growing and I think it's at an all-time high now."
Uldrich said the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party has become extremely liberal and the Republicans extremely conservative.
"The middle is wide open," he said.
Polls suggest Minnesota voters are becoming more independent. Minneapolis pollster Bill Morris said a statewide survey his firm, Decision Resources, took in late July showed 39 percent of voters identified themselves as Democrats, 33 percent as Republicans and 26 percent as independents. That represented a 4 percent increase for independents since January and a 4 percent decrease for Democrats.
But fewer than 1 percent identified with the Independence Party. Still, Uldrich said, independents are more likely to vote for a candidate on the party's ticket.
One reason the Independence Party, like other parties, may have a hard time recruiting candidates is that the next governor will face a projected $4.4 billion to $7.2 billion budget shortfall and ongoing structural deficits.
"Everyone I talk to (about running) I ask, 'Do you really want this job?' Because it's going to be a crappy job," Uldrich said.
He said the three leading potential candidates "to their credit say, 'I get that. But somebody needs to do it. We need some real leadership.' "
The Independence Party hasn't provided much leadership since its first and only governor, Jesse Ventura, left office in 2002. He was elected with 37 percent of the vote in the three-way 1998 election.
Since then, the party's 2002 gubernatorial candidate, Tim Penny, received 16 percent of the vote and the IP's Peter Hutchinson got 6 percent in 2006 — barely clearing the 5 percent threshold for maintaining "major party" status under Minnesota law.
But Barkley received 15 percent of the votes in the 2008 U.S. Senate race.
Why has the party slipped? Larry Jacobs, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, cites three reasons.
"It still is basically a cult-of-the-individual party," he said. The Independence Party can succeed when it gets a celebrity, such as Ventura, to run, but it has no elected office holders, no organization with thousands of members and little loyalty among voters.
"The party surfs on voter frustration," Jacobs said. They get attention in the weeks leading up to an election, but "outside of the election period, they're irrelevant." They aren't players in the state's public policy debates or a presence in policymaking at the Legislature.
Finally, the party doesn't have a clear role, he said. "They don't win elections. They raise issues during an election, and they act as a kingmaker by drawing voters away from one party so the other one wins. But that's about it."
Nonetheless, state DFL and GOP leaders don't dismiss the Independence Party.
"I take seriously any party that's elected a governor in the past 20 years," state GOP chairman Tony Sutton said.
How seriously depends on the quality of their candidate, he said. "If they don't have a celebrity candidate, they don't have the infrastructure, apparatus or loyalty of a base to help their candidate build a platform for a campaign."
State DFL chairman Brian Melendez said he takes the Independence Party seriously not because he thinks they can win but because they could be spoilers.
He said he believes the Independence Party cost DFL gubernatorial candidate Mike Hatch the 2006 election. Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty beat Hatch by just 1 percentage point, and Melendez is convinced the Independence Party's Hutchinson siphoned off enough disgruntled Democrats to tip the election.
He said he also thinks U.S. Sen. Al Franken would have won in 2008 without a recount if Barkley hadn't run.
"Nobody's really voting for their (Independence Party) candidates; they're voting against the candidates of the two major parties," he said. "It's kind of turned into the None-of- the-Above Party."
Uldrich asserted that the Independence Party, unlike the DFL and GOP, stands for fiscal responsibility and moderation on social issues.
Party leaders learned two lessons from their defeats in 2002 and 2006, he said. Their candidate must launch a campaign earlier.
Uldrich wants the IP candidates to enter the race during the legislative session next spring "so we get engaged in the debate and start drawing distinctions with both the DFLers and the Republicans."
The second lesson, he said, is that they must communicate with voters the way Ventura did. While Penny and Hutchinson were highly qualified candidates, "their messages never resonated with the public," he said. "We have to keep intellectually honest but figure out how to package our message better."
By Bill Salisbury, Pioneer Press
Updated: 11/04/2009
While a large pack of Democratic and Republican gubernatorial candidates has roamed across Minnesota for months clamoring for attention, the state's third and smallest "major party," the Independence Party, has yet to field a single credible contender.
State party chairman Jack Uldrich insists he isn't worried about not having a candidate yet. It's still early, and he has been talking to a "handful of eminently qualified individuals" who would be strong candidates, he said in an interview last week.
Uldrich is confident that one or more of what he considers "three leading candidates" will get into the race.
He declined to name them but said all three work in private business and have experience either "in government at the highest levels or in public policy circles."
They also "have resources of their own" — money, that is — to wage a competitive race, he said. That's important because the Independence Party never has had much money.
"I am 100 percent confident that we will have a very qualified candidate," Uldrich said.
In addition, Dean Barkley, the party's U.S. Senate candidate in 2008 and former Gov. Jesse Ventura's closest political adviser, said he is considering a run for governor.
"I am contemplating whether I want to strap on the knee pads one more time and start begging people to give me money," Barkley said. "I really don't like doing that. I've got to convince myself that I've got one more fight left in me, and I haven'tdone that yet."
To be competitive, he said, the Independence Party candidate must raise at least $2 million, enough to air TV ads in the month before the election. He said the party's past two candidates spent about $1 million and ran short of advertising money late in the race.
(Rahn Workcuff, a political unknown from Minneapolis, has filed with the state campaign finance board to run as an Independence Party candidate for governor. He has run for the Legislature at least twice and lost badly.)
Uldrich said he tried to recruit Jim Ramstad, but the popular former GOP congressman said he's "not interested in running at this time."
Whomever the Independence Party nominee is, Uldrich and Barkley agree he or she will have a good shot at winning next year.
Why? "Because people have become completely disgusted with the other two parties," Barkley said. "It's been growing and growing and I think it's at an all-time high now."
Uldrich said the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party has become extremely liberal and the Republicans extremely conservative.
"The middle is wide open," he said.
Polls suggest Minnesota voters are becoming more independent. Minneapolis pollster Bill Morris said a statewide survey his firm, Decision Resources, took in late July showed 39 percent of voters identified themselves as Democrats, 33 percent as Republicans and 26 percent as independents. That represented a 4 percent increase for independents since January and a 4 percent decrease for Democrats.
But fewer than 1 percent identified with the Independence Party. Still, Uldrich said, independents are more likely to vote for a candidate on the party's ticket.
One reason the Independence Party, like other parties, may have a hard time recruiting candidates is that the next governor will face a projected $4.4 billion to $7.2 billion budget shortfall and ongoing structural deficits.
"Everyone I talk to (about running) I ask, 'Do you really want this job?' Because it's going to be a crappy job," Uldrich said.
He said the three leading potential candidates "to their credit say, 'I get that. But somebody needs to do it. We need some real leadership.' "
The Independence Party hasn't provided much leadership since its first and only governor, Jesse Ventura, left office in 2002. He was elected with 37 percent of the vote in the three-way 1998 election.
Since then, the party's 2002 gubernatorial candidate, Tim Penny, received 16 percent of the vote and the IP's Peter Hutchinson got 6 percent in 2006 — barely clearing the 5 percent threshold for maintaining "major party" status under Minnesota law.
But Barkley received 15 percent of the votes in the 2008 U.S. Senate race.
Why has the party slipped? Larry Jacobs, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, cites three reasons.
"It still is basically a cult-of-the-individual party," he said. The Independence Party can succeed when it gets a celebrity, such as Ventura, to run, but it has no elected office holders, no organization with thousands of members and little loyalty among voters.
"The party surfs on voter frustration," Jacobs said. They get attention in the weeks leading up to an election, but "outside of the election period, they're irrelevant." They aren't players in the state's public policy debates or a presence in policymaking at the Legislature.
Finally, the party doesn't have a clear role, he said. "They don't win elections. They raise issues during an election, and they act as a kingmaker by drawing voters away from one party so the other one wins. But that's about it."
Nonetheless, state DFL and GOP leaders don't dismiss the Independence Party.
"I take seriously any party that's elected a governor in the past 20 years," state GOP chairman Tony Sutton said.
How seriously depends on the quality of their candidate, he said. "If they don't have a celebrity candidate, they don't have the infrastructure, apparatus or loyalty of a base to help their candidate build a platform for a campaign."
State DFL chairman Brian Melendez said he takes the Independence Party seriously not because he thinks they can win but because they could be spoilers.
He said he believes the Independence Party cost DFL gubernatorial candidate Mike Hatch the 2006 election. Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty beat Hatch by just 1 percentage point, and Melendez is convinced the Independence Party's Hutchinson siphoned off enough disgruntled Democrats to tip the election.
He said he also thinks U.S. Sen. Al Franken would have won in 2008 without a recount if Barkley hadn't run.
"Nobody's really voting for their (Independence Party) candidates; they're voting against the candidates of the two major parties," he said. "It's kind of turned into the None-of- the-Above Party."
Uldrich asserted that the Independence Party, unlike the DFL and GOP, stands for fiscal responsibility and moderation on social issues.
Party leaders learned two lessons from their defeats in 2002 and 2006, he said. Their candidate must launch a campaign earlier.
Uldrich wants the IP candidates to enter the race during the legislative session next spring "so we get engaged in the debate and start drawing distinctions with both the DFLers and the Republicans."
The second lesson, he said, is that they must communicate with voters the way Ventura did. While Penny and Hutchinson were highly qualified candidates, "their messages never resonated with the public," he said. "We have to keep intellectually honest but figure out how to package our message better."
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Gaertner announces run for governor
The Ramsey County attorney, who had filed the necessary paperwork to run in 2007, casts herself as an outsider and vows to "radically transform the leadership culture."
By PAT DOYLE, Star Tribune
Last update: October 2, 2009
Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner made it official Thursday night, announcing that she is joining a crowded field of DFLers running for Minnesota governor and casting herself as an outsider offering a fresh start.
"I have not been at the Capitol; I am not part of that mess," she told reporters after addressing supporters in St. Paul.
In her speech to supporters, she vowed to "radically transform the leadership culture" at the State Capitol, to make tough decisions to improve health care and education and to reduce the burden on local property taxpayers.
Asked afterward how she would pay for those initiatives, Gaertner said, "We need to cut some spending, we need to redesign how we deliver government services and we need to raise more revenue."
She added that she'd consider raising income taxes on residents who earn more than $500,000 a year, echoing an idea suggested last month by House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, another DFLer, when she announced that she was running for governor.
"I think it would be irresponsible for any candidate to say that they wouldn't raise taxes," Gaertner said.
The state faces the potential for a multibillion-dollar long-term budget deficit.
In an apparent reference to a pledge not to raise taxes by Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, she added, "That's what got us, to some extent, in this mess in the first place."
Pawlenty's decision not to run for reelection next year has set off a scramble among DFLers and Republicans alike to succeed him. Nearly two dozen have filed paperwork with the state allowing them to raise campaign funds.
Other DFL hopefuls include Sen. Tom Bakk, former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, former House Minority Leader Matt Entenza, Rep. Tom Rukavina, Rep. Paul Thissen, Sen. John Marty and former Sen. Steve Kelley.
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, both DFLers, also have indicated they may run.
Although Gaertner waited until now to announce formally, she filed papers in 2007 for a possible run, giving her an early start on fundraising. At the end of last year, she had reported a cash balance of $53,081.
Still, Bakk reported a cash balance at the end of last year of $131,742, and Thissen reported $84,743. Moreover, Dayton and Entenza, both wealthy, have the potential to spend far more money than other candidates in the race.
Gaertner said she would abide by the DFL endorsement.
This week, she received the endorsement of child safety advocate Patty Wetterling, who has twice run for Minnesota's Sixth District seat.
Potential Republican candidates include former state Auditor Pat Anderson, Rep. Tom Emmer, Sen. Michelle Fischbach, former Rep. Bill Haas, Sen. David Hann, Sen. Mike Jungbauer, Rep. Paul Kohls, House Minority Leader Marty Seifert and Minnesota Business Partnership executive director Charlie Weaver.
Pat Doyle • 651-222-1210
By PAT DOYLE, Star Tribune
Last update: October 2, 2009
Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner made it official Thursday night, announcing that she is joining a crowded field of DFLers running for Minnesota governor and casting herself as an outsider offering a fresh start.
"I have not been at the Capitol; I am not part of that mess," she told reporters after addressing supporters in St. Paul.
In her speech to supporters, she vowed to "radically transform the leadership culture" at the State Capitol, to make tough decisions to improve health care and education and to reduce the burden on local property taxpayers.
Asked afterward how she would pay for those initiatives, Gaertner said, "We need to cut some spending, we need to redesign how we deliver government services and we need to raise more revenue."
She added that she'd consider raising income taxes on residents who earn more than $500,000 a year, echoing an idea suggested last month by House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, another DFLer, when she announced that she was running for governor.
"I think it would be irresponsible for any candidate to say that they wouldn't raise taxes," Gaertner said.
The state faces the potential for a multibillion-dollar long-term budget deficit.
In an apparent reference to a pledge not to raise taxes by Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, she added, "That's what got us, to some extent, in this mess in the first place."
Pawlenty's decision not to run for reelection next year has set off a scramble among DFLers and Republicans alike to succeed him. Nearly two dozen have filed paperwork with the state allowing them to raise campaign funds.
Other DFL hopefuls include Sen. Tom Bakk, former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, former House Minority Leader Matt Entenza, Rep. Tom Rukavina, Rep. Paul Thissen, Sen. John Marty and former Sen. Steve Kelley.
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, both DFLers, also have indicated they may run.
Although Gaertner waited until now to announce formally, she filed papers in 2007 for a possible run, giving her an early start on fundraising. At the end of last year, she had reported a cash balance of $53,081.
Still, Bakk reported a cash balance at the end of last year of $131,742, and Thissen reported $84,743. Moreover, Dayton and Entenza, both wealthy, have the potential to spend far more money than other candidates in the race.
Gaertner said she would abide by the DFL endorsement.
This week, she received the endorsement of child safety advocate Patty Wetterling, who has twice run for Minnesota's Sixth District seat.
Potential Republican candidates include former state Auditor Pat Anderson, Rep. Tom Emmer, Sen. Michelle Fischbach, former Rep. Bill Haas, Sen. David Hann, Sen. Mike Jungbauer, Rep. Paul Kohls, House Minority Leader Marty Seifert and Minnesota Business Partnership executive director Charlie Weaver.
Pat Doyle • 651-222-1210
Two mayors test waters - and their friendship
R.T. Rybak and Chris Coleman are strongly hinting at rival bids for governor.
By RACHEL E. STASSEN-BERGER, Star Tribune
Last update: October 3, 2009
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman have been popping up all over the state lately, in places Twin Cities mayors don't usually frequent.
Both stopped by Kolacky Days in Montgomery to fete the prune-filled pastry. They were spotted at a recent Coon Rapids pig roast. Rybak has posted photos of himself standing next to a farmer in a Pope County cattle pasture and addressing a crowd in Austin on his Facebook page. Meanwhile, Coleman campaign signs -- with "for St. Paul" in small letters -- have turned up as far north as Duluth. DFL political activists from Pequot Lakes to Hutchinson report visits from each of them.
"I see them everywhere. When don't I see them?" said Marge Hoffa, DFL chair of the Third Congressional District, which spans the western suburbs.
The two mayors are blunt about what's behind their statewide sojourns -- they're both seriously considering a run for governor next year, even as they run for reelection as mayors this November.
If both jump into the governor's race, it would appear to mark the first time a Twin Cities mayor has faced direct political competition from the mayor across the river, and could test the notion that big-city politicians struggle once they move their shows statewide. No mayor from either city has gone on to become governor since Alexander Ramsey in 1860, who had earlier served a stint as St. Paul mayor.
A Rybak-Coleman contest for endorsement could also strain what has been one of the closest working relationships between St. Paul and Minneapolis mayors in recent memory.
Neither one is ready to formally declare a gubernatorial candidacy, nor do they deny the governor's office is in their sights.
Rivals in both parties have suggested it's time for the two to join the field of 11 DFL candidates who have already announced. Republicans have filed a complaint against Rybak and Coleman, accusing them of skirting state campaign finance law with what amounts to informal campaigning.
But Coleman and Rybak are sticking to their own timetables for now.
Coleman says he'll decide this month, so voters in St. Paul's mayoral contest this fall will know his intent. Rybak's announcement may not be quite that soon, but he said Minneapolis voters should know that he is "increasingly likely" to run for governor. An early supporter of candidate Barack Obama, Rybak says he has even told the president of his possible intentions.
Friends who may be rivals
Coleman and Rybak each claim the other as a friend. They've met socially on occasion as well as politically and say they'll maintain cordial relations even if they become competitors.
"We have a good relationship, and I think that's very important," Rybak said. "But I have a good relationship with most of the other mayors in the region and most of the other people in this race."
Said Coleman: "People are appreciative of the fact that the two cities, which have been at odds with each other more often than not, are actually getting along."
As they explore possible gubernatorial runs, the mayors have continued to work together. They recently co-authored a newspaper opinion piece about health care and they've collaborated on environmental concerns, economic issues and the Central Corridor light-rail line. Their partnership, in part, helped bring the Republican National Convention to Minnesota last year.
There's also a practical reason for them to handle things carefully.
"One of them is not going to be the nominee to be governor," said Blois Olson, a Democratic pundit and executive vice president at Tunheim Partners public affairs firm. Both could remain at their city's helm for the next four years.
No fighting -- yet
Politics watchers report that the mayors, along with myriad other DFL candidates, have remained civil on the stump.
"There's been no animosity, no fighting. They've just been standing on their own soap box," said Paul Wright, DFL chairman of the Seventh District in western Minnesota.
The formal DFL field is already flooded with candidates: House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, state Sens. Tom Bakk and John Marty; state Reps. Tom Rukavina and Paul Thissen, former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner and former state legislators Matt Entenza and Steve Kelley. Registered lobbyist Peter Roess and frequent candidate Ole Savior have also filed campaign committees.
With so many candidates in the race, spending time attacking just one potential DFL opponent could be "very, very dumb" strategically and a waste of time, said former St. Paul Mayor George Latimer, who has encouraged Coleman to run.
But that could change should the two mayors end up competing for the same delegates, each trying to prove their city is better run.
Can they win outstate?
Could either DFL mayor from a liberal city win statewide?
"People who are not from a big city or the big cities are going to say, 'Well, is he going to understand my issues in Crookston?' I think it is a legitimate concern, and I think it has to be," said Latimer, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1986.
Twin Cities politicians have had mixed success recently in plying their wares outside their borders. As Hennepin County attorney, Amy Klobuchar trounced U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy in the 2006 U.S. Senate race, winning in a landslide against the Watertown Republican. Gov. Tim Pawlenty, with a home base in Eagan, won an election against a candidate from outstate Minnesota and one against a candidate from the suburbs. Norm Coleman, a former St. Paul mayor, lost to suburban mayor Jesse Ventura in the 1998 governor's race but won a U.S. Senate seat four years later -- only to lose it to Minneapolitan and Democrat Al Franken after last year's extended recount.
Bakk, a DFL candidate who said both mayors have been on the stump enough that they should file their candidacies, said the Democrats' real battle will be in the western and southern parts of the state.
DFL First District chair Lori Sellner, whose swing district comprises southern Minnesota, said her delegates will look for someone who understands the issues non-big-city residents face, but that doesn't preclude urban candidates.
"It is just one of many factors that delegates will look at it," Sellner said.
Don Bye, longtime DFL chair in the Eighth District that includes the DFL bedrock that is the Iron Range, said any metro DFL candidate simply has "more to prove" to outstate voters.
But, he said, "I think it is provable."
Rachel E. Stassen-Berger • 651-292-0164
By RACHEL E. STASSEN-BERGER, Star Tribune
Last update: October 3, 2009
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman have been popping up all over the state lately, in places Twin Cities mayors don't usually frequent.
Both stopped by Kolacky Days in Montgomery to fete the prune-filled pastry. They were spotted at a recent Coon Rapids pig roast. Rybak has posted photos of himself standing next to a farmer in a Pope County cattle pasture and addressing a crowd in Austin on his Facebook page. Meanwhile, Coleman campaign signs -- with "for St. Paul" in small letters -- have turned up as far north as Duluth. DFL political activists from Pequot Lakes to Hutchinson report visits from each of them.
"I see them everywhere. When don't I see them?" said Marge Hoffa, DFL chair of the Third Congressional District, which spans the western suburbs.
The two mayors are blunt about what's behind their statewide sojourns -- they're both seriously considering a run for governor next year, even as they run for reelection as mayors this November.
If both jump into the governor's race, it would appear to mark the first time a Twin Cities mayor has faced direct political competition from the mayor across the river, and could test the notion that big-city politicians struggle once they move their shows statewide. No mayor from either city has gone on to become governor since Alexander Ramsey in 1860, who had earlier served a stint as St. Paul mayor.
A Rybak-Coleman contest for endorsement could also strain what has been one of the closest working relationships between St. Paul and Minneapolis mayors in recent memory.
Neither one is ready to formally declare a gubernatorial candidacy, nor do they deny the governor's office is in their sights.
Rivals in both parties have suggested it's time for the two to join the field of 11 DFL candidates who have already announced. Republicans have filed a complaint against Rybak and Coleman, accusing them of skirting state campaign finance law with what amounts to informal campaigning.
But Coleman and Rybak are sticking to their own timetables for now.
Coleman says he'll decide this month, so voters in St. Paul's mayoral contest this fall will know his intent. Rybak's announcement may not be quite that soon, but he said Minneapolis voters should know that he is "increasingly likely" to run for governor. An early supporter of candidate Barack Obama, Rybak says he has even told the president of his possible intentions.
Friends who may be rivals
Coleman and Rybak each claim the other as a friend. They've met socially on occasion as well as politically and say they'll maintain cordial relations even if they become competitors.
"We have a good relationship, and I think that's very important," Rybak said. "But I have a good relationship with most of the other mayors in the region and most of the other people in this race."
Said Coleman: "People are appreciative of the fact that the two cities, which have been at odds with each other more often than not, are actually getting along."
As they explore possible gubernatorial runs, the mayors have continued to work together. They recently co-authored a newspaper opinion piece about health care and they've collaborated on environmental concerns, economic issues and the Central Corridor light-rail line. Their partnership, in part, helped bring the Republican National Convention to Minnesota last year.
There's also a practical reason for them to handle things carefully.
"One of them is not going to be the nominee to be governor," said Blois Olson, a Democratic pundit and executive vice president at Tunheim Partners public affairs firm. Both could remain at their city's helm for the next four years.
No fighting -- yet
Politics watchers report that the mayors, along with myriad other DFL candidates, have remained civil on the stump.
"There's been no animosity, no fighting. They've just been standing on their own soap box," said Paul Wright, DFL chairman of the Seventh District in western Minnesota.
The formal DFL field is already flooded with candidates: House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, state Sens. Tom Bakk and John Marty; state Reps. Tom Rukavina and Paul Thissen, former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner and former state legislators Matt Entenza and Steve Kelley. Registered lobbyist Peter Roess and frequent candidate Ole Savior have also filed campaign committees.
With so many candidates in the race, spending time attacking just one potential DFL opponent could be "very, very dumb" strategically and a waste of time, said former St. Paul Mayor George Latimer, who has encouraged Coleman to run.
But that could change should the two mayors end up competing for the same delegates, each trying to prove their city is better run.
Can they win outstate?
Could either DFL mayor from a liberal city win statewide?
"People who are not from a big city or the big cities are going to say, 'Well, is he going to understand my issues in Crookston?' I think it is a legitimate concern, and I think it has to be," said Latimer, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1986.
Twin Cities politicians have had mixed success recently in plying their wares outside their borders. As Hennepin County attorney, Amy Klobuchar trounced U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy in the 2006 U.S. Senate race, winning in a landslide against the Watertown Republican. Gov. Tim Pawlenty, with a home base in Eagan, won an election against a candidate from outstate Minnesota and one against a candidate from the suburbs. Norm Coleman, a former St. Paul mayor, lost to suburban mayor Jesse Ventura in the 1998 governor's race but won a U.S. Senate seat four years later -- only to lose it to Minneapolitan and Democrat Al Franken after last year's extended recount.
Bakk, a DFL candidate who said both mayors have been on the stump enough that they should file their candidacies, said the Democrats' real battle will be in the western and southern parts of the state.
DFL First District chair Lori Sellner, whose swing district comprises southern Minnesota, said her delegates will look for someone who understands the issues non-big-city residents face, but that doesn't preclude urban candidates.
"It is just one of many factors that delegates will look at it," Sellner said.
Don Bye, longtime DFL chair in the Eighth District that includes the DFL bedrock that is the Iron Range, said any metro DFL candidate simply has "more to prove" to outstate voters.
But, he said, "I think it is provable."
Rachel E. Stassen-Berger • 651-292-0164
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
GOP to endorse choice for governor in Minneapolis next year
Pioneer Press
Updated: 08/24/2009
Just as they did in the last governor's race, Minnesota Republicans will gather in Minneapolis next year to endorse a candidate for the state's top office.
State GOP Chairman Tony Sutton said Monday that the late-April event will be at the Minneapolis Convention Center. That is more than a month before the traditional state convention season.
Republicans met there in 2006 when Gov. Tim Pawlenty was endorsed for his second and final term. At least nine Republicans are vying for the party nod.
Democrats will gather in Duluth for their three-day state convention beginning June 4
— Associated Press
Updated: 08/24/2009
Just as they did in the last governor's race, Minnesota Republicans will gather in Minneapolis next year to endorse a candidate for the state's top office.
State GOP Chairman Tony Sutton said Monday that the late-April event will be at the Minneapolis Convention Center. That is more than a month before the traditional state convention season.
Republicans met there in 2006 when Gov. Tim Pawlenty was endorsed for his second and final term. At least nine Republicans are vying for the party nod.
Democrats will gather in Duluth for their three-day state convention beginning June 4
— Associated Press
Race for governor has a cast of many
Republicans in particular face the challenge of discerning what role Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who isn't seeking a third term, will play as the race progresses.
By MIKE KASZUBA, Star Tribune
Last update: August 21, 2009
More than a dozen candidates to be Minnesota's next governor are hustling across the state for support this summer -- so many that one joked they should simply carpool.
Yet the role of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, particularly in pushing the chances of the Republicans trying to succeed him, remains unclear.
At a soggy picnic in Roseville this week, one Republican gubernatorial candidate after another talked to the crowd without ever mentioning Pawlenty, the two-term Republican they all have said they admire.
DFL candidate Matt Entenza said Pawlenty has already fundamentally changed the race by deciding not to enter it, a move Entenza said made the overall campaign "considerably less expensive." He estimated that had Pawlenty sought reelection the race for governor would have approached $10 million.
These are the early, but important, days of a race where the election is still 15 months away. On any given weeknight and weekend, a not-so-small gang of Republicans and DFLers crisscrosses Minnesota, moving from political breakfasts to private fundraising dinners in an often-lonely journey to gain political traction. In the coming months, the field will inevitably decrease as many candidates, realizing the odds, bow out.
The pace can be demanding. Schedulers for Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, had him speaking in Minneapolis on Thursday night, appearing Friday afternoon at a county fair in Alexandria and then finishing the day at a DFL picnic in Glenwood. Today, he began with an early morning appearance at another county fair in Owatonna and by noon was scheduled to be at a second DFL picnic, this time in Burnsville. Marty said the candidates -- including himself -- are "like a swarm of bees" these days.
For the Republicans, the campaign has an added challenge: how to sell themselves as independent from Pawlenty, while making sure they have the support of a governor who remains popular within his party. Conversely, the Republicans also have to cope with how much time Pawlenty, who is crisscrossing the country in pursuit of his national political ambitions, will devote to get them elected.
"None of us are Tim Pawlenty," said Rep. Paul Kohls, R-Victoria, after finishing a 10-minute speech at the Roseville picnic. As his opponents took their turns in front of the microphone, Kohls added, "I wouldn't read too much" into the fact that he and others did not mention the governor during their speeches. "I don't think any of us want to be Tim Pawlenty. We want to be who we are," he said.
With Pawlenty largely silent on the subject, and the Republican endorsing convention not until next year, the lobbying for the governor's support has been muted.
"I'm trying to give him breathing room," said former House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, another gubernatorial candidate. "You can't be putting pressure on someone ... when you've got all of his friends running for governor at the same time."
Seifert said he introduced Pawlenty at a rally recently in Redwood Falls and said the governor said "some very kind things about me." But Seifert also acknowledged that relations between Republicans in the Legislature and Pawlenty, who has sailed his own course politically, have been hard to define. Asked whether they had been less than ideal, Seifert responded: "It depends what your definition of ideal is.
"What's the word [to describe the relationship]? I don't have a thesaurus with me," said Seifert, who resigned as House minority leader to run for governor.
Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, another gubernatorial candidate, said the Republicans obviously would welcome Pawlenty's endorsement.
As Emmer and Kohls stood together at a rally this week, Emmer joked that the race for Pawlenty's endorsement was well underway. "I hear Kohls has been kissing [up to Pawlenty] for about three weeks now," said Emmer, smiling.
"My lips are right here, Tom," said Kohls, laughing.
Pawlenty's role
But Emmer also turned serious. "We're not running with Tim Pawlenty. We're not running for Tim Pawlenty," he said. "Tim is great, and he's done a great job. [But] you're going to have to stand on your own ... message."
Minnesota Republican Party Chairman Tony Sutton said Pawlenty will play a large role in the party's quest to retain the governor's office. "Governor Pawlenty is going to be a big part -- his record is going to be a big part -- of our message," he said. "My expectation is he'll be fully engaged in the governor's race."
Former U.S. Sen. Dave Durenberger, a Republican, said he is not so sure. "What happens in Minnesota is not going to be of great concern to him," Durenberger said.
If circumstances were changed and Republicans held majorities at the Legislature and elsewhere in the state, he said, Pawlenty might be more inclined to help "because they could be helpful to him" as he seeks a larger national profile.
"I doubt if he's going to use the weight of [the governor's] office ... to try to get one or the other of that list of candidates elected in Minnesota," he added. "I'm just not sure that he's driven by saving Minnesota from the Democrats."
Distracted by other matters
While they have their own crowded race, DFLers said that Republicans running for governor would likely need to try to separate themselves from Pawlenty at some point, especially during a general election campaign.
"I think they'd be wise to be a little careful," said Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, a candidate himself. "Because what you don't want to do is hand the Democrats the issue [of], 'Well, here's four more years of the same.'"
For now, said Sen. Michael Jungbauer, R-East Bethel, another Republican candidate for governor, the focus should not be on Pawlenty.
"I'd just as soon see him fairly hands off,'' said Jungbauer. While agreeing that "we all would love" to have Pawlenty's backing, Jungbauer added that he has differed at times with the governor. "I think he's made some wrong decisions," he said.
"[But] I think he'd be a heckuva great president," Jungbauer added.
Mike Kaszuba • 651-222-1673
By MIKE KASZUBA, Star Tribune
Last update: August 21, 2009
More than a dozen candidates to be Minnesota's next governor are hustling across the state for support this summer -- so many that one joked they should simply carpool.
Yet the role of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, particularly in pushing the chances of the Republicans trying to succeed him, remains unclear.
At a soggy picnic in Roseville this week, one Republican gubernatorial candidate after another talked to the crowd without ever mentioning Pawlenty, the two-term Republican they all have said they admire.
DFL candidate Matt Entenza said Pawlenty has already fundamentally changed the race by deciding not to enter it, a move Entenza said made the overall campaign "considerably less expensive." He estimated that had Pawlenty sought reelection the race for governor would have approached $10 million.
These are the early, but important, days of a race where the election is still 15 months away. On any given weeknight and weekend, a not-so-small gang of Republicans and DFLers crisscrosses Minnesota, moving from political breakfasts to private fundraising dinners in an often-lonely journey to gain political traction. In the coming months, the field will inevitably decrease as many candidates, realizing the odds, bow out.
The pace can be demanding. Schedulers for Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, had him speaking in Minneapolis on Thursday night, appearing Friday afternoon at a county fair in Alexandria and then finishing the day at a DFL picnic in Glenwood. Today, he began with an early morning appearance at another county fair in Owatonna and by noon was scheduled to be at a second DFL picnic, this time in Burnsville. Marty said the candidates -- including himself -- are "like a swarm of bees" these days.
For the Republicans, the campaign has an added challenge: how to sell themselves as independent from Pawlenty, while making sure they have the support of a governor who remains popular within his party. Conversely, the Republicans also have to cope with how much time Pawlenty, who is crisscrossing the country in pursuit of his national political ambitions, will devote to get them elected.
"None of us are Tim Pawlenty," said Rep. Paul Kohls, R-Victoria, after finishing a 10-minute speech at the Roseville picnic. As his opponents took their turns in front of the microphone, Kohls added, "I wouldn't read too much" into the fact that he and others did not mention the governor during their speeches. "I don't think any of us want to be Tim Pawlenty. We want to be who we are," he said.
With Pawlenty largely silent on the subject, and the Republican endorsing convention not until next year, the lobbying for the governor's support has been muted.
"I'm trying to give him breathing room," said former House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, another gubernatorial candidate. "You can't be putting pressure on someone ... when you've got all of his friends running for governor at the same time."
Seifert said he introduced Pawlenty at a rally recently in Redwood Falls and said the governor said "some very kind things about me." But Seifert also acknowledged that relations between Republicans in the Legislature and Pawlenty, who has sailed his own course politically, have been hard to define. Asked whether they had been less than ideal, Seifert responded: "It depends what your definition of ideal is.
"What's the word [to describe the relationship]? I don't have a thesaurus with me," said Seifert, who resigned as House minority leader to run for governor.
Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, another gubernatorial candidate, said the Republicans obviously would welcome Pawlenty's endorsement.
As Emmer and Kohls stood together at a rally this week, Emmer joked that the race for Pawlenty's endorsement was well underway. "I hear Kohls has been kissing [up to Pawlenty] for about three weeks now," said Emmer, smiling.
"My lips are right here, Tom," said Kohls, laughing.
Pawlenty's role
But Emmer also turned serious. "We're not running with Tim Pawlenty. We're not running for Tim Pawlenty," he said. "Tim is great, and he's done a great job. [But] you're going to have to stand on your own ... message."
Minnesota Republican Party Chairman Tony Sutton said Pawlenty will play a large role in the party's quest to retain the governor's office. "Governor Pawlenty is going to be a big part -- his record is going to be a big part -- of our message," he said. "My expectation is he'll be fully engaged in the governor's race."
Former U.S. Sen. Dave Durenberger, a Republican, said he is not so sure. "What happens in Minnesota is not going to be of great concern to him," Durenberger said.
If circumstances were changed and Republicans held majorities at the Legislature and elsewhere in the state, he said, Pawlenty might be more inclined to help "because they could be helpful to him" as he seeks a larger national profile.
"I doubt if he's going to use the weight of [the governor's] office ... to try to get one or the other of that list of candidates elected in Minnesota," he added. "I'm just not sure that he's driven by saving Minnesota from the Democrats."
Distracted by other matters
While they have their own crowded race, DFLers said that Republicans running for governor would likely need to try to separate themselves from Pawlenty at some point, especially during a general election campaign.
"I think they'd be wise to be a little careful," said Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, a candidate himself. "Because what you don't want to do is hand the Democrats the issue [of], 'Well, here's four more years of the same.'"
For now, said Sen. Michael Jungbauer, R-East Bethel, another Republican candidate for governor, the focus should not be on Pawlenty.
"I'd just as soon see him fairly hands off,'' said Jungbauer. While agreeing that "we all would love" to have Pawlenty's backing, Jungbauer added that he has differed at times with the governor. "I think he's made some wrong decisions," he said.
"[But] I think he'd be a heckuva great president," Jungbauer added.
Mike Kaszuba • 651-222-1673
Thursday, August 20, 2009
GOP candidates for governor gather this week in Roseville
Source: MPR Poilnaut
Nine Republicans who are running for governor in 2010 are expected to make campaign pitches Thursday at an event in Roseville.
Republicans in House District 54A are hosting the candidates at a political picnic at Roseville's Central Park, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Organizers say nine GOP candidates for governor have confirmed that they'll attend. The list includes three state representatives: Tom Emmer, Paul Kohls and Marty Seifert. Two state senators: David Hann and Mike Jungbauer. Former state auditor Pat Anderson, as well as Leslie Davis, Bill Haas and Phil Herwig. They say state Rep. Laura Brod might also attend.
The Republican candidates are trying to build support in advance of a state GOP convention October 3rd in St. Paul. GOP delegates will select their preferences for governor at that event in a non-binding straw poll.
The state GOP party will endorse its candidate during a state convention that's scheduled April 2 - May 1, at a yet to be determined location.
Nine Republicans who are running for governor in 2010 are expected to make campaign pitches Thursday at an event in Roseville.
Republicans in House District 54A are hosting the candidates at a political picnic at Roseville's Central Park, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Organizers say nine GOP candidates for governor have confirmed that they'll attend. The list includes three state representatives: Tom Emmer, Paul Kohls and Marty Seifert. Two state senators: David Hann and Mike Jungbauer. Former state auditor Pat Anderson, as well as Leslie Davis, Bill Haas and Phil Herwig. They say state Rep. Laura Brod might also attend.
The Republican candidates are trying to build support in advance of a state GOP convention October 3rd in St. Paul. GOP delegates will select their preferences for governor at that event in a non-binding straw poll.
The state GOP party will endorse its candidate during a state convention that's scheduled April 2 - May 1, at a yet to be determined location.
Steve Sviggum reportedly out of governor's race
Pioneer Press
Updated: 08/19/2009 11:52:28 PM CDT
Former Minnesota House Speaker Steve Sviggum will not run for governor next year, according to a Twin Cities Public Television blog.
Sviggum, a Kenyon Republican and the state labor and industry commissioner, decided to scrap his planned campaign after a federal official told him, in effect, he would have to quit his state job in order to run, TPT's Capitol reporter Mary Lahammer reported Wednesday. Since Sviggum administers the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act in the state, the U.S. solicitor general ruled he is subject to the federal Hatch Act, which prohibits political activities by federal employees.
"It's a downer," Sviggum told Lahammer. "At this time I'm suspending my campaign. I'm not saying I'm ending it."
He said there's a small chance he could revive his candidacy if none of the nine announced Republican candidates catches on.
Sviggum said he had to keep his $108,400-a-year day job to pay his bills. He told Lahammer the realization he could not run for governor "left a hole in my stomach the size of Lake Mille Lacs."
— Bill Salisbury
Updated: 08/19/2009 11:52:28 PM CDT
Former Minnesota House Speaker Steve Sviggum will not run for governor next year, according to a Twin Cities Public Television blog.
Sviggum, a Kenyon Republican and the state labor and industry commissioner, decided to scrap his planned campaign after a federal official told him, in effect, he would have to quit his state job in order to run, TPT's Capitol reporter Mary Lahammer reported Wednesday. Since Sviggum administers the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act in the state, the U.S. solicitor general ruled he is subject to the federal Hatch Act, which prohibits political activities by federal employees.
"It's a downer," Sviggum told Lahammer. "At this time I'm suspending my campaign. I'm not saying I'm ending it."
He said there's a small chance he could revive his candidacy if none of the nine announced Republican candidates catches on.
Sviggum said he had to keep his $108,400-a-year day job to pay his bills. He told Lahammer the realization he could not run for governor "left a hole in my stomach the size of Lake Mille Lacs."
— Bill Salisbury
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Gov. Jim Doyle won't seek re-election
Source: Politico
August 15, 2009
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle has told associates he will announce this week that he won’t seek a third term in 2010, POLITICO has learned.
By deciding against a run, Doyle, a Democrat, sets off what could be one of the most competitive gubernatorial races in the country next year.
The governor has been coy for months about his intentions, stockpiling money but at the same time not saying publicly whether he would run for re-election.
But sources familiar with his decision not to seek a third term say Doyle recognized the difficulties he may have faced next year and didn't want to go through another campaign after a long political career.
He’s had to raise taxes and fees while furloughing state workers to help plug a $6.6 billion budget deficit. In doing so, his approval numbers have fallen below 40 percent. And just this week, he faced the embarrassment of seeing his legal counsel quit because she hadn’t passed the state bar.
“His legal counsel resigns, poll numbers have been in the tank, the state's unemployment rate is hovering above 9 percent, he's bickering with Dem lawmakers on the Finance Committee, and he's taking shots from the Madison media over one of his appointments to the Dane County bench,” wrote the popular state political site Wispolitics.com in their insider “Stock Market” column last week. “And there's continued heartburn among Dems because he still hasn't officially announced if he's running for governor next year. It all adds up to a rough patch for the guv, insiders from both sides say.”
National Democratic strategists privately expressed concern about Doyle’s re-election prospects, especially in the face of a strong GOP field that includes Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and former Rep. Mark Neumann. "It's not the worst thing in the world," said one top Democrat, citing Doyle's declining popularity and a solid bench of prospective Democratic candidates.
Doyle's office did not respond to POLITICO's inquiries, but subsequently issued a one-sentence statement to Wisconsin reporters indicating that the governor would make an announcement Monday about his intentions.
With Doyle retiring, a slew of Wisconsin Democrats are likely to consider the race. That list is topped by Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton, who has already indicated she would run if Doyle does not and who would be the state’s first female governor.
By next year, though, Lawton may be running as an incumbent.
For months, buzz has circulated in Wisconsin and national political circles that Doyle is in line for an Obama administration post. The governor got behind the president early in the Democratic race, well before the Wisconsin primary in which Obama thumped Hillary Clinton.
When asked about a prospective Obama post by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel last month, Doyle issued a statement with ample wiggle room.
"I have never ever asked for any [Washington] position,” the governor said. “I've never asked anybody on my behalf to ask for any position. I have no intention of doing anything but serving out this term."
But both Doyle, 63, and his wife hail from prominent political families and an administration job may represent a capstone to a career that has included time in the Peace Corps, as Dane County (Madison) attorney and as state attorney general.
In addition to Lawton, other potential Democratic gubernatorial candidates include Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Rep. Ron Kind and state Sen. Jon Erpenbach.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/26145.html#ixzz0OJWMh3Zt
August 15, 2009
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle has told associates he will announce this week that he won’t seek a third term in 2010, POLITICO has learned.
By deciding against a run, Doyle, a Democrat, sets off what could be one of the most competitive gubernatorial races in the country next year.
The governor has been coy for months about his intentions, stockpiling money but at the same time not saying publicly whether he would run for re-election.
But sources familiar with his decision not to seek a third term say Doyle recognized the difficulties he may have faced next year and didn't want to go through another campaign after a long political career.
He’s had to raise taxes and fees while furloughing state workers to help plug a $6.6 billion budget deficit. In doing so, his approval numbers have fallen below 40 percent. And just this week, he faced the embarrassment of seeing his legal counsel quit because she hadn’t passed the state bar.
“His legal counsel resigns, poll numbers have been in the tank, the state's unemployment rate is hovering above 9 percent, he's bickering with Dem lawmakers on the Finance Committee, and he's taking shots from the Madison media over one of his appointments to the Dane County bench,” wrote the popular state political site Wispolitics.com in their insider “Stock Market” column last week. “And there's continued heartburn among Dems because he still hasn't officially announced if he's running for governor next year. It all adds up to a rough patch for the guv, insiders from both sides say.”
National Democratic strategists privately expressed concern about Doyle’s re-election prospects, especially in the face of a strong GOP field that includes Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and former Rep. Mark Neumann. "It's not the worst thing in the world," said one top Democrat, citing Doyle's declining popularity and a solid bench of prospective Democratic candidates.
Doyle's office did not respond to POLITICO's inquiries, but subsequently issued a one-sentence statement to Wisconsin reporters indicating that the governor would make an announcement Monday about his intentions.
With Doyle retiring, a slew of Wisconsin Democrats are likely to consider the race. That list is topped by Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton, who has already indicated she would run if Doyle does not and who would be the state’s first female governor.
By next year, though, Lawton may be running as an incumbent.
For months, buzz has circulated in Wisconsin and national political circles that Doyle is in line for an Obama administration post. The governor got behind the president early in the Democratic race, well before the Wisconsin primary in which Obama thumped Hillary Clinton.
When asked about a prospective Obama post by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel last month, Doyle issued a statement with ample wiggle room.
"I have never ever asked for any [Washington] position,” the governor said. “I've never asked anybody on my behalf to ask for any position. I have no intention of doing anything but serving out this term."
But both Doyle, 63, and his wife hail from prominent political families and an administration job may represent a capstone to a career that has included time in the Peace Corps, as Dane County (Madison) attorney and as state attorney general.
In addition to Lawton, other potential Democratic gubernatorial candidates include Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Rep. Ron Kind and state Sen. Jon Erpenbach.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/26145.html#ixzz0OJWMh3Zt
Friday, July 24, 2009
Ramstad says he won't run for governor
Source: Star Tribune
The former GOP congressman's decision not to run further opens up the race, even though he had never officially entered it.
Former GOP Congressman Jim Ramstad silenced speculation about his 2010 political prospects by announcing Tuesday that he won't be a candidate for governor next year.
"Although I plan to continue my public service, it won't be as governor," Ramstad said in a brief statement. He didn't offer reasons or return a call seeking comment.
Even though he was never officially in the race, Ram- stad's decision not to run leaves a hole in the expanding GOP candidate field. Although several legislators have entered the race, no one has Ramstad's blend of statewide name recognition, bipartisan appeal and fundraising ability.
The only possible candidate who might currently match those advantages is former Sen. Norm Coleman, who has not said what his plans are.
Dan Hofrenning, a St. Olaf College political science professor, said Ramstad's biggest problem as a candidate would have been securing the endorsement of a party generally more conservative than he is.
"It's not clear he would have gotten the nomination, but he would have had a shot in the primary [election]," Hofrenning said. "Right now is a period of searching for the Republican Party, and Ramstad's withdrawal means the absence of a strong moderate voice."
Ramstad "would have been a formidable candidate, but I respect his decision" not to run, state GOP Party Chairman Tony Sutton said.
Ramstad, 63, retired from Congress this year after representing the west metro suburbs for 18 years.
His name was bandied about after Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced last month he wouldn't seek a third term, opening the door to GOP contenders.
On Tuesday, Ramstad said he was "humbled by the tremendous outpouring of support from people across party lines."
"I hope whoever is elected governor will bring people together and work in a bipartisan way," he said.
KEVIN DUCHSCHERE
The former GOP congressman's decision not to run further opens up the race, even though he had never officially entered it.
Former GOP Congressman Jim Ramstad silenced speculation about his 2010 political prospects by announcing Tuesday that he won't be a candidate for governor next year.
"Although I plan to continue my public service, it won't be as governor," Ramstad said in a brief statement. He didn't offer reasons or return a call seeking comment.
Even though he was never officially in the race, Ram- stad's decision not to run leaves a hole in the expanding GOP candidate field. Although several legislators have entered the race, no one has Ramstad's blend of statewide name recognition, bipartisan appeal and fundraising ability.
The only possible candidate who might currently match those advantages is former Sen. Norm Coleman, who has not said what his plans are.
Dan Hofrenning, a St. Olaf College political science professor, said Ramstad's biggest problem as a candidate would have been securing the endorsement of a party generally more conservative than he is.
"It's not clear he would have gotten the nomination, but he would have had a shot in the primary [election]," Hofrenning said. "Right now is a period of searching for the Republican Party, and Ramstad's withdrawal means the absence of a strong moderate voice."
Ramstad "would have been a formidable candidate, but I respect his decision" not to run, state GOP Party Chairman Tony Sutton said.
Ramstad, 63, retired from Congress this year after representing the west metro suburbs for 18 years.
His name was bandied about after Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced last month he wouldn't seek a third term, opening the door to GOP contenders.
On Tuesday, Ramstad said he was "humbled by the tremendous outpouring of support from people across party lines."
"I hope whoever is elected governor will bring people together and work in a bipartisan way," he said.
KEVIN DUCHSCHERE
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