Comments on: Breaking: Luger Officially?

By: st paul sage

st paul sage — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 18:35:56 +0000

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.

By: Kari

Kari — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 13:35:15 +0000

Lugar vs. Luger…you may want to check the spelling in the CD3 candidate pool poll

By: Blogger

Blogger — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:10:10 +0000

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.

By: Zack

Zack — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 21:38:41 +0000

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.

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 21:10:23 +0000

“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.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 21:01:54 +0000

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?

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 20:22:00 +0000

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.

By: Eva

Eva — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:14:19 +0000

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.

By: Josh

Josh — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:54:24 +0000

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.

By: Blogger

Blogger — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:25:56 +0000

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.