**St. Sen. Terri Bonoff has addressed the meeting and reportedly said “My family is living like I am running.” This confirms other reports that we are hearing that Senator Bonoff is leaning towards making the race.
**Andy Luger is traveling and was unable to make it to the meeting, but sent a representative who told the crowd that he is “thinking” about running “seriously considering running.”
**St. Rep. Steve Simon addressed the crowd and sounded very much like a candidate. Very polished. Our source tells us that he has given “the best speech so far”.
**St. Rep. Melissa Hortman was the first prospective candidate at the meeting, arriving 30 minutes early. Rep. Hortman has not yet spoken, apparently she has been busy working the crowd.
**Buck Humphrey “sauntered” in very late. He also has yet to speak.
We’ll update this post with more information as soon as we have it.
UPDATE - I got it wrong. Andy Luger’s representative said that he is “seriously considering running” not “thinking” about it as I reported earlier. Our sincere apologies to Andy Luger and his representative.
[Sean adds: we got a thorough account from our MNPublius source with some more interesting tidbits.]
The one common thread amongst all the legislators was the idea that they had run into roadblocks when trying to deal with a number of issues on the statewide level that were actually national problems. Education, transportation, and global warming were some of the issues I remember being mentioned.
From what I heard (Sean’s note: the source was with us on the phone when Buck spoke), Buck was the only one who didn’t talk about any issues.
With that in mind, I’m pretty happy. Everyone I saw spoke looked like they could be a congressperson already. I also have a pretty good feeling that everyone is going to honor the endorsement (even Buck).
One Kevin Ray Smith who ran against Wendy Wilde in the primary last year showed up as the meeting was closing, which may or may not mean anything. Last year at the CD3 convention he suggested giving everyone in congress a massage to relieve all the tension would be a great way to build bi-partisanship.
Your source must have dozed off. The intereseted candidates drew paper out of a hat and spoke in the following order for 3 minutes each:
1. Luger’s rep, Luger is out East on business
2. Bonoff
3. Hortman
4. Simon
Later on, Michael Rothman, winthrop & whitney lobbyist, expressed interest. And Buck Humphrey expressed interest as well near the end. The Republicans are.
REPUBLICANS EXPRESSING INTEREST
Henn. County Commissioner, Linda Koblick
St.Senator Geoff Michel
St.Rep Erik Paulsen
St.Rep Joyce Peppin
Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek
Republican National Committeman Brian Sullivan
St. Rep Kurt Zellers
Tom Kelly, the 2002 GOP-endorsed candidate for Attorney General
Rothman is interesting. He is currently the DFL finance chair.
And in regards to our fearless reporter dozing — I mean hey man, it was a DFL CD meeting, which featured the paper ballot election of several directors — these (as a DFL Executive board member) are not the most exciting of meetings (although Marge Hoffa, CD3 chair is great, keeps things moving).
I kid, our reporter was the bomb. Thanks intrepid reporter.
Sean
Simon is a great candidate … for another race. I don’t think he’s running - the guy doesn’t even live in the district. But it doesn’t hurt for him to be out there, showing people why he’s going to be a great statewide candidate at some later date. Hortman is it. Everyone should just accept that, and move on.
If we assume that the best candidate is a moderate woman who has been elected in the 3rd (a big if, I know, but that’s how I feel), Terri Bonoff seems to have signigicant advantages - doesn’t have to give up seat, is familiar to twice as many 3rd D voters.
Why would a person choose Melissa Hortman instead of Ms. Bonoff?
Both Bonoff and Hortman would be great candidates. You’re right sps, Bonoff has the advantage of not having to give up her seat, she represents twice as many people as Hortman, and she seems better connected to fundraise.
I think a person would choose Hortman because she has done a better job demonstrating leadership in the legislature and would be much more powerful in Washington than Bonhoff. Also, Hortman has the edge with environment and labor folks, which could really help her earn the DFL endorsement. If Hortman doesn’t receive the DFL endorsement, it might give Bonoff a boost, it’d help her appear more moderate to conservatives in the 3rd cd. It is really a win-win for both women to seek the endorsement, they both should go for it, may the best women win (sorry luger, but you’re great at what u do) The trick is to be or “to look” not so moderate that you don’t receive the DFL endorsement, but moderate enough to actually win the 3rd CD. There’s no room for a spine in the cd3, is there? The Republicans will have to struggle with the same thing. Will they endorse an unelectable nut-job like Joyce Peppin, or will they select someone like HC commish Linda Koblick, who would be very dangerous against the DFL candidate.
Both Terri and Melissa need to have an endorsement to clear the field (probably not quite clear but be the one endorsed candidate who’s a woman against a bunch of white men) and not fall to the Humphrey or Luther name in a primary.
It’s weird to be thinking to the endgame like this, but if you don’t know where you’re going, you won’t get there…
The 3rd Cd DFL is trying to do everything it can to keep theplaying field fair and open to avoid having a primary.
I really wish people would stop talking about a primary as if it is already a certainty. This isn’t Minneapolis or St. Paul. If this district goes to a contested primary, we lose. Period.
I think the prospective candidates understand this, and I’m hopeful that we can all be united to take this seat come april.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. If the candidate gets chosen by the DFL endorsement process - a method the DFL has long used to find the worst possible candidate - we lose.
Yeah Dan you’re right. Except for Jim Oberstar, Colin Peterson, Tim Walz, Betty McCollum, Keith Ellison, Rebecca Otto, and Mark Ritchie.
Sean
The Star Trib loves Hortman — a big plus in a metro district.
With all of these people in the race, there will be a primary.
With a primary will come Humphrey’s best opportunity to squeak through and get killed by Koblick or even Paulsen. Bonoff and Simon are poised to fare the best at this point.
The key is to rally this bunch around abiding by the endorsement and then making sure they stick to it. That will force them to organize supporters for the caucuses which will naturally increase overall participation in the DFL. So, the only losers are the insiders who can’t and haven’t brought any new blood into this process.
Sean,
I was thinking more along the lines of Mike Hatch, Roger Moe, John Marty, Ann Wynia, and Patty Wetterling. Or in 2000, when the nominee was such a complete joke (Jerry Janisich) that everybody ran in the primary.
As far as your examples, was Walz even opposed on the DFL side? Was Peterson opposed on the DFL side when first elected? Oberstar, McCollum and Ellison all got elected in safe DFL districts, so the main problem with the endorsement process - picking unelectable candidates - doesn’t come into play.
Dan
I second Dan’s thinking. ~ J