With two Iron Rangers vying for governor it should be noted that the Ranger most likely to ascend to high office next year is State Rep. Tony Sertich (DFL-Chisholm). According to Zack at the well-regarded liberal blog MNPublius Sertich is the leading candidate to succeed Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher. Kelliher is also running for governor and yesterday announced she would not seek re-election to the House to focus on her run.
A disclaimer, I worked on Sertich’s first campaign in 2000 and consider him a friend. Nevertheless, it’s remarkable to see how Tony entered the House at age 24 and methodically worked his way up the ranks so quickly and relatively quietly. It goes with a theory I have. The Iron Range may be known for its brute force in DFL elections, but if we’re going to survive we need a whole lot more soft power and stealthiness. Yelling and seniority won’t cut it after the 2010 Census.
We’ll see how the next session plays out, however, before Tony or anyone else gets to pop the champagne. And I shouldn’t be overly dismissive of the chances of Sen. Tom Bakk or Rep. Tom Rukavina to become governor. That … That could happen. And there is the matter of Lt. Gov. That’s a whole other thing. Stay tuned.
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