Rybak will not run for the Senate!

[Keystone Phil]

http://www.skywaynews.net/articles/2007/01/01/news/news06.txt

Celebrate, my Republicans, for we will greatly enjoy the defeat of Al Franken in 2008.

[they don't love you like i love you]

Rybak and Franken are the only two Democrats in Minnesota?

[Keystone Phil]

Rybak and Franken are the only two Democrats in Minnesota?

Rybak was your strong candidate.

Apparently KPhil hasn't heard of Betty McCollum.

I have. How badly will Franken beat her in the primary?

[they don't love you like i love you]

I have. How badly will Franken beat her in the primary?

She'd also win the convention endorsement.

Franken hasn't even announced yet anyway.

[TheresNoMoney]

Nowhere in the article does it say he's not running, only that he hasn't take any "steps towards mounting a campaign".

The title of the article and this thread is extremely misleading.

[Conan]

Actually if Franken runs, he wins. Sorry Reps.

[Padfoot]

This is the state that elected Jesse Ventura as their governor so I don't think they'll have too much trouble getting past the weirdness of an Al Franken candidacy.  Plus Coleman is way to conservative for this state.

[Rob]

I'm hoping he runs anyway. If not, McCollum will beat Coleman. He'll have been thoroughly Santorumized by Election Day- especially if the GOP holds their little convention in Minneapolis! I'm not expecting an eighteen-point margin... he isn't as universally loathed as that guy from Pennsylvania. Still, beating him will be so sweet.

[TheresNoMoney]

Read the article, people. Nowhere does it say he's definitely not running.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

What about Dean Johnson?

[Democratic Hawk]

Minnesota Democrats had better not ----up finding a good challenger to Coleman. I mean, come on , that man couldn't even best George Galloway. Levin was much better grilling him from what I recall

Dave

[Yates]

Perhaps the Democrats should nominate Collin Peterson.  Part of me believes that, were the Democrats to do this, this race would become the Pennsylvania of 2008.

[sethm0]

 In complete honesty, I do not think Franken will be a good candidate. I like the guy but he hasn't lived in the state for 20 years and he is a little more Hollywood than Minnesota these days.

 That said, if we can find anotherstrong candidate, we have a very good shot at the seat. Coleman is vulnerable.

[Democratic Hawk]

Perhaps the Democrats should nominate Collin Peterson.  Part of me believes that, were the Democrats to do this, this race would become the Pennsylvania of 2008.

Peterson is easily the most conservative Democrat of Minnesota's House delegation, who I certainly think could handidly defeat Coleman. May be, too, socially conservative a Democrat for the primary, however

Dave

[they don't love you like i love you]

What about Dean Johnson?

He's mentioned the idea of running.

Perhaps the Democrats should nominate Collin Peterson.  Part of me believes that, were the Democrats to do this, this race would become the Pennsylvania of 2008.

He'd never win the primary and has absolutely no interest in running anyway since he just became chairman of the Ag Committee.

[Democratic Hawk]

He'd never win the primary and has absolutely no interest in running anyway since he just became chairman of the Ag Committee.

Well as Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Peterson giving the Senate seat a miss is perfectly understandable. So having ruled Peterson out, any good liberal-to-populist Democrat should do. Coleman is clearly too economically right for Minnesota

Dave

[they don't love you like i love you]

So having ruled Peterson out, any good liberal-to-populist Democrat should do.

You just described Dean Johnson.

[Democratic Hawk]

So having ruled Peterson out, any good liberal-to-populist Democrat should do.

You just described Dean Johnson.

Yes but having just lost his seat in the Minnesota Senate is Johnson the best possible choice?

Dave

[they don't love you like i love you]

So having ruled Peterson out, any good liberal-to-populist Democrat should do.

You just described Dean Johnson.

Yes but having just lost his seat in the Minnesota Senate is Johnson the best possible choice?

Dave

He just got screwed by massive turnout by social conservatives pissed about gay marriage. That won't hurt him statewide.

[Democratic Hawk]

So having ruled Peterson out, any good liberal-to-populist Democrat should do.

You just described Dean Johnson.

Yes but having just lost his seat in the Minnesota Senate is Johnson the best possible choice?

Dave

He just got screwed by massive turnout by social conservatives pissed about gay marriage. That won't hurt him statewide.
[/quote]

Well, should Johnson run for the nomination and win it, I hope it doesn't. Coleman after all is so darn awful, he ought to be easy pickings

Dave

[JSojourner]

Jim Oberstar could beat Coleman if he ran a populist campaign on economic and business issues and a more center-right campaign on so-called moral issues.  I believe he is already on the board of "Democrats for Life". 

[Keystone Phil]

Read the article, people. Nowhere does it say he's definitely not running.

I never said he definetley isn't running but I think the comment is enough to say that he very likely won't run.

[they don't love you like i love you]

Jim Oberstar could beat Coleman if he ran a populist campaign on economic and business issues and a more center-right campaign on so-called moral issues.  I believe he is already on the board of "Democrats for Life". 

Too old.

Read the article, people. Nowhere does it say he's definitely not running.

I never said he definetley isn't running but I think the comment is enough to say that he very likely won't run.

Like Bob Casey and Sherrod Brown?

[Keystone Phil]

Like Bob Casey and Sherrod Brown?

Sorry but what Brown did doesn't happen often. When someone says that they're out, everyone will believe they're out except yourself, Your Majesty, for you knew far better than any that Sherrod Brown, while stating that he would not be a candidate, would actually end up running.

Also, Your Highness, most people involved in PA politics ruled out a Casey run but of course you knew better. I guess you never heard the comments from his sister about the 2004 Thanksgiving where Casey flipped out about someone publishing something about him considering a run. He almost completely ruled it out at that point, that's how mad he was. But you knew he was in the whole time, BRTD. You're a political genius.

[TheresNoMoney]

Here's the actual passage from the article:

spokesman Jeremy Hanson said the mayor has “not taken a single step toward developing a Senate campaign.”

“There are a lot of other people talking about him as a candidate, but he’s really focused on finishing the job that he came to City Hall to do,” Hanson said.

That's a classic non-denial denial if I've ever heard one.