Andy Luger has been calling activists in the 3rd Congressional District today telling him that he is officially in the race and asking for their support.
He joins State Senator Terri Bonoff as the only other official candidate in the race.
ZACK UPDATES: Eric Black reports that he spoke with Andy Luger this morning and that he said:
“I decided very late last night, I’m not going to run for Congress,” he said.
Yesterday, all indications were that Luger was running. This is a dramatic reversal. One interesting question, does Luger’s withdrawal open the door to a Lillehaug candidacy?
In addition, former U.S. Attorney David Lillehaug, a DFLer, said he would not enter the race if Luger does.
Lillehaug would be a juggernaut.
MATT UPDATES: This was sitting in my inbox this morning but I missed it:
Late last night, Ellen and I decided that this was not the time for me to launch a campaign for Congress.
It was my plan and expectation to campaign essentially full time from here on out. My personal and professional commitments, however, make it very difficult for me to run the kind of campaign I want. As I sat down to map out my campaign plan and strategy for the next few months, I realized that my business travel schedule and my personal demands were inconsistent with a full time Congressional campaign. The race for the DFL endorsement over the next few months will be hotly contested and requires careful planning, concentration and a great deal of time. The delegates and decision makers in the 3rd deserve no less. Any of my good friends who are running, or considering running, will make great candidates. I wish them well.
When I run for office next, I will do so in the manner I know best. While Ellen and I are disappointed that the timing did not work out for us this time, we are grateful to all who pledged their support to my potential run.
Andy
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Interesting how this compares to Eric Black’s post this morning that states that he just “spoke to Andy Luger, who confirms that he has decided not to get into the race.”
Yup. I received an email from Andy. He will not be entering the race.
The Big E
Cool, thanks for updating the post.
Andy’s announcement came as a huge surprise to a lot of us.
It certainly will leave a gap in the field. However, unlike any of the other still prospective candidates, most activists in the 3rd barely know who Lillehaug is. Additionally, the current crop of candidates all look likely to abide, but any new entrant brings the possibility of someone determined to take it to a primary.
with all due respect, mr. lillehaug’s previous performances do not suggest that he would be a “juggernaut.”
so at this point the race seems to be down to (and I very much like these candidates):
terri bonoff (probably the frontrunner)
maybe steve simon
maybe steve kelly
maybe melissa hortman
What about Kelly Doran? He is a resident of Eden Prairie and got his name in peoples’ minds last year. The fact that he would be perceived as a moderate, and that he comes from the private sector, would sit well with many in the district.
But he bowed out of the Senate race last year saying something like he didn’t want to spend all that time in DC. He would have to deal with that.
Andy Luger bowing out is a damn shame. He would have been a great candidate and would have added a lot to the race.
Bonoff would have to be the front-runner at this point. Hortman could challenge that, but I doubt Lillehaug would change that status, at least initially. While Lillehaug would be a formidable candidate, he’s been on the sidelines for a while.
Interesting to see people dropping so quickly like this. I would have thought some of them would have taken more of the Hortman route and taken more time to make a decision. It’s still relatively early in the cycle and a good candidate could wait another month or two and still be able to put together the organization and financing to make a run.
It is too bad. I hope we see him again in the future. But it’s so nice to see such a great crop of candidates. I do hope Simon throws his hat in the ring.
If by juggernaut you mean “lousy candidate with no prayer of winning” then David Lillihaug is a juggernaut. Unfortunately, I don’t think that is what juggernaut means.
Maybe we should get Ann Wynia to run. I bet she would be a juggernaut. Does Gerry Sikorski live in the 3rd? Juggernaut for sure. I am sure there are some other retread candidates we can dig up. Is Roseville in the 3rd? John Marty would be a juggernaut.
This is not sarcastic:
Can someone explain to my why Sen. Bonoff is being called the front runner? I’ve met her, and I like her. But she’s served in the Senate for two years.
Is she the front runner because she won two close elections (one a special election) in a district that is a toss up?
“Is she the front runner because she won two close elections (one a special election) in a district that is a toss up?”
Yes. And the fact that she has been the Senate for only two years is a plus. We need to get away from the idea that long service in the state house or senate qualifies (or entitles) one to be the DFL candidate for higher office.
Frankly, we don’t have many longserving legislators in the 3rd District. Of the three that are currently in/considering a run Hortman and Simon have served four years and Bonoff has served three.
One very convincing argument that Bonoff is the frontrunner: she is the only candidate in the race right now.
PS - Simon won one very close election (and another that wasn’t very close at all) and Hortman won two very close elections.
Where are the other candidates? Business leaders? Community activitists? Nonprofit leaders? Can we really be down to this short of a list already? The election isn’t for another 400 days.
Lugar vs. Luger…you may want to check the spelling in the CD3 candidate pool poll
Terri Bonoff is the frontrunner because she has won a couple of elections in the district, has positions that match the district, is actually running for the seat and has the ability to speak convincingly on the issues that matter to 3rd D voters. Hortman, Simon and Kelly all have strengths and could win an endorsement and the election but they wouldn’t supplant Bonoff as a frontrunner at this moment - but, yes it is 400 days.
In a swing district we need a vetted leader. Business leaders or military leaders could be good - not so sure about “community activists” or “nonprofit leaders.”
Republicans look likely to pick a mainstream Republican legislator as well and the majority of MN congresspeople have the same background. Ellison, McCollum, Bachman, Peterson, Ramstad of the current ones and Sabo, Vento, Sikorski, Luther, Stangeland, and Frenzel before them were all state legislators.