Minnesota Gubernatorial thread

[Meeker]

Rybak addressing the convention floor...

I also think those numbers I mentioned earlier for the 6th ballot were wrong, FWIW

[Meeker]

Rybak concedes.

[Lief 🗽]

Rybak concedes.

[Meeker]

This process sucks, BTW. Rybak had the most support from elected delegates and MAK basically won because two state legislators decided to throw their support to her (probably in exchange for some favor). Thus is politics though.

This may also be good for Rybak's career in the long run. I suspect the Republicans were going to hold the governorship regardless of who the DFL nominated. He can give it another go in 2014.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

This process sucks, BTW. Rybak had the most support from elected delegates and MAK basically won because two state legislators decided to throw their support to her (probably in exchange for some favor). Thus is politics though.

This may also be good for Rybak's career in the long run. I suspect the Republicans were going to hold the governorship regardless of who the DFL nominated. He can give it another go in 2014.

I doubt it actually. Really lousy candidates this time. BTW Tom Emmer has just co-sponsored a rather blatantly obviously unconstitutional and downright idiotic bill stating that no federal laws passed apply to Minnesota unless the legislature approves them with a 2/3 majority. Not kidding.

[Associate Justice PiT]

This process sucks, BTW. Rybak had the most support from elected delegates and MAK basically won because two state legislators decided to throw their support to her (probably in exchange for some favor). Thus is politics though.

This may also be good for Rybak's career in the long run. I suspect the Republicans were going to hold the governorship regardless of who the DFL nominated. He can give it another go in 2014.

I doubt it actually. Really lousy candidates this time. BTW Tom Emmer has just co-sponsored a rather blatantly obviously unconstitutional and downright idiotic bill stating that no federal laws passed apply to Minnesota unless the legislature approves them with a 2/3 majority. Not kidding.

     Rather humorous, really, in the same way watching a playground squabble is humorous. "We won't listen to you unless we say we do!"

[bgwah]

Candidate with two last names = Automatic loss.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

And the DFL continues their streak of choosing terrible candidates for Governor! Good job, guys!

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Luckily the GOP aren't going to nominate someone much better. Arne Carlson and Tim Pawlenty circa 2002 were certainly better candidates than someone even less interesting or inspiring than Kelliher or someone who could make Bachmann look sane.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I'm hoping Rybak gets picked for Lt. Gov.

It's practically written in stone that the Lt. Gov. nominee be a female (I believe the last time a major party nominated a male for Lt. Gov. was with Alec Olson in 1978, and that's counting the IP as a major party.), but with a female nominee that's obviously not the rule.

[Meeker]

I think that might be too much Minneapolis. I'd guess she'll go with some state legislator from up North.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Any chance she loses the primary? Dayton presumably still has boatloads of personal money to spend, and he'd probably have a better shot.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Dayton doesn't seem to be generating much enthusiasm. He made one fundraising push and spent more money on that than he raised.

I hope we get more polls now. I will consider Dayton for my primary vote if he consistently polls better. For now we have to wait and see who the GOP nominates though.

I think that might be too much Minneapolis. I'd guess she'll go with some state legislator from up North.

Eh, that's probably true. Rukavina is the most likely choice out of that.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

GOP convention begins today. Some news on that side:

-Revelations have came out that Tom Emmer received TWO DWIs in the past. Looks worse too considering he sponsored a bill last year that would've had the effect of weakening record keeping of DWIs. Seifert is hammering him hard on this.
-Emmer has also chosen his running mate, Annette Meeks. She is a Republican activist with absolutely no history of elected office. She does sit on the unelected Metropolitan Council, but this is something Emmer has condemned in the past as government waste.
-Palin has endorsed Emmer.

In a nutshell, Emmer is shaping up to be a worse and worse candidate every day. I'm rooting for him of course.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

BTW, I actually would support the DWI bill Emmer sponsored. Just looks bad coming from such a guy. Especially with the GOP base.

[Meeker]

Seifert withdraws after the second ballot and gives it to Emmer.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Seifert withdraws after the second ballot and gives it to Emmer.

WOOHOO!

[Ban my account ffs!]

Seifert withdraws after the second ballot and gives it to Emmer.

WOOHOO!

[Bo]

Seifert withdraws after the second ballot and gives it to Emmer.

WOOHOO!

[Ban my account ffs!]

I think this race will be eerily similar to 1998.  Both parties nominated great candidates for their respective bases, but neither are particularly appealing to the middle... though I think MAK is definitely the less acerbic of the two main parties and if she plays it cool, could do well.

Still, Tom Horner, the main candidate for the IP endorsement, is a well polished former Republican who is taking a very moderate approach on most issues.. though he is siding with the DFL much more on tax policy (basically... we can't fix a budget deficit that is equal to 20% of our biennial spending with cuts alone).

So who knows... the problem with the three parties in MN is that the DFL and IP are way too similar on the issues that Minnesotans care about (education, healthcare, transportation, environment)... so they split up the sane vote while the hard rightwing takes the cake for being solid behind their candidate.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Seifert actually made a good point right before the convention, in addition to being extremely unqualified, Emmer's Lt. Gov. pick results in no geographic balance. He's from the exurbs in Wright county, she's from Minneapolis (where of course she will have absolutely no homeground appeal whatsoever). Not the best lineup for rural Minnesota. Really Emmer's Lt. Gov. choice was so lousy, and clearly designed for nothing but winning the convention.

Works exactly as Kelliher needs and gives her time to actually make a good planned pick.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Is there any evidence that picking a Lt. Governor for geographic balance has any appreciable effect on voters? I can't imagine most people know, or even care, who the Lt. Governor is or what they do.

[Meeker]

Is there any evidence that picking a Lt. Governor for geographic balance has any appreciable effect on voters? I can't imagine most people know, or even care, who the Lt. Governor is or what they do.

If it's just some random person from Region X it probably isn't going to help. But if it's a well-known and/or respected pick from Region X it would probably help to some extent. The Bergen County results in the New Jersey race last year are a pretty good example of this.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Is there any evidence that picking a Lt. Governor for geographic balance has any appreciable effect on voters? I can't imagine most people know, or even care, who the Lt. Governor is or what they do.

Normally I agree, but Emmer's pick is so blatantly partisan it makes it almost impossible for him to move to the center or convince voters he's not going to govern like how the DFL demonization of him will claim he will.

Anyway, I wonder if the IP candidate can break double digits? There's going to be plenty of swing voters who won't be able to stomach either candidate. Not quite on the level of Franken/Coleman, but more than most races in recent memory.

[ilikeverin]

What a lousy race.