This week I finished my series of interview posts for the 2010 Minnesota DFL gubernatorial candidate field. For posterity, here are the links and dates of the posts:
State Sen. Tom Bakk (June 13, 2008)
State Rep. Paul Thissen (Nov. 17, 2008)
Former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton (April 24, 2009)
Former State Rep. Matt Entenza (May 4, 2009)
State Sen. John Marty (June 23, 2009)
Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner (July 13, 2009)
State Rep. Tom Rukavina (Aug. 11, 2009)
State House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher (Aug. 17, 2009)
Former State Sen. Steve Kelley (Oct. 18, 2009)
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak (Dec. 16, 2009)
These interviews will be edited and expanded for a new e-book I am planning. Also included in the e-book will be further analysis of the race and some unique content about political organizing on the Iron Range. After Christmas I will publish a “Path to Victory” series that details how I think each DFL candidate could win the endorsement and/or the nomination, plus a look ahead at how they might match up in the general election against yet-to-be-determined IP and Republican candidates.
Thanks for all the effort, Aaron!
Aaron, this reminds me of the DFL disaster of 1998, when the Three Sons and a bunch of lesser names all wanted to succeed moderate Republican Arne Carlson.
Independent Jesse Ventura and his handler Dean Barkley got a smart publicist named Hillman and used the new Internet connections to energize young voters.
Coleman and Humphrey appeared up in Brainerd at a League of Women Voters Debate during the campaign, and gave boring set speeches, no matter what questions they were asked. Jesse connected with the audience and answered all comers directly and well. After the event he visited local high schools, and the parents heard from their excited kids. Coleman and Humphrey rushed off to other commitments elsewhere.
The DFL endorsed Orville Freeman’s Son Mike, after a close convention battle. Skip Humphrey had been busy with the Tobacco Settlement as Attorney General and blamed a late start for his convention loss.
Ted Mondale was just too moderate for the Labor Wing and got booed at the Eighth District Convention in Eveleth, and was subjected to a coordinated union walk out, when he tried to address the DFL.
So Skip went on to the September Primary, winning narrowly and picking up Roger Moe as his Lieutenant.
After 4 years of Jesse excitement and rebates, we elected Tim Pawlenty twice, while the DFL continued to sort through a lot of wannabes.
For me the race now boils down to two qualified candidates from each “MAJOR” party:
GOP Norm Coleman or Marty Siefert
DFL Tom Rukavina or Paul Thissen
Lots of money could be saved if the other 18 or 19 announced losers could park their egos and instead work on our serious State issues:
enough revenue to meet Minnesota’s needs
restoring General Medical Assistance and Minnesota Care
adequate education funding levels
sufficient local government aid
Thanks for listening!
– Gord