Several candidates have taken themselves out of the 3rd CD race this week. In case you missed them:
State Rep. Melissa Hortman (DFL)
DFL Finance Chair Mike Rothman (DFL)
State Sen. Geoff Michel (R)
State Sen. David Hann (R)
State Rep. Joyce Peppin (R)
Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek (R)
So where does all this leave us? Here is the status of the candidates still in play
State Senator Terri Bonoff (DFL)
In the race and in it in a big way. Bonoff has got to be the overall frontrunner right now.
State Rep. Steve Simon (DFL)
Still considering the race. Simon would be a very strong candidate.
Edina Mayor Jim Hovland (DFL)
He told The Hill he’ll make up his mind within 30 days. Very interesting possibility.
State Rep. Erik Paulsen (R)
He lost to Marty “clap happy” Seifert for Minority Leader, but he is definitely running for Congress.
State Rep. Kurt Zellers (R)
Sources tell MN Publius he is still considering the race. In light of the exodus of Republican candidates, Zellers might have a real shot.
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I didn’t know alot about Jim Hovland before, but he is a very interesting possibility. His switch from R to D would not phase many voters and would even gain him a few. I think people in the 3rd like knowing that their Representative isn’t beholden to a party.
With the Edina establishment connections and his network in the legal community, I bet he would be a decent fundraiser too.
Just imagine all the folks out there who feel like the Republican Party has left them high and dry. Hovland would be the candidate that could help them see that it’s alright to vote for a Dem. He made the switch and they can too.
I’d like to think Dems are a much bigger tent party than the GOP. I just hope they would be open-minded enough to give him a chance to tell his story.
Jim Hovland set up an Energy and Environmental Commission in Edina. That’s a pretty big statement about where his priorities are as they relate to environmental concerns.
Jim Hovland seems to be sitting at home posting his resume to this board. Too bad that his postings are ham-handed and come as the sort of thing the Glee Team circa 1956 would say about the most handsomest boy in the class.
Gimme a break, Hovland, and welcome to the boards. If, in the future, you care to post this kind of thing, take out the swoon factor - wouldya?
Anyway. I think he’s an interesting candidate, and a a nice guy. But he’s got almost no chance at getting endorsed at the 3rd CD DFL (though I do like the thought of his old Edina supporters consenting to caucus DFL and getting to know, say, the AFSCME folks who’ve been there for years …). Which means, of course, a counter-productive and expensive primary that Hovland either can’t afford, or - if he can somehow raise the money - would damage the DFL candidate going into a very tough fall race. In other words, Hovland should sit home for this one and get to know some of his new friends. Otherwise, some of those new DFL friends might just get the idea that he switched parties for no reason other than to position himself for Congress.
Bonoff “has got to be the overall frontrunner right now???” Only because she’s the only announced candidate in the race. But if you look at the ongoing poll on this very site - Steve Simon has been leading Bonoff - and by a good margin - for the last two days. And he’s not even in the race, yet.
I realize, these polls are mostly meaningless - but they do say something about the ability to e-organize supporters. Bonoff either can’t do it yet, or she doesn’t have many.
Still waiting to be impressed by Sen. Terri Bonoff …
I want to vote for a person, not a party. I don’t care if the Democrats love him, despise him, think he is opportunistic, etc.
Why should I as a voter have to be content with AFSCME’s pick for the DFL candidate??? Frankly, knowing that the Unions have gotten to a guy might be enough for me to take a good look at the Republican candidate.
Party politics sucks. Give me an independent.
If the GOP removes Ron Erhardt at their endorsing convention — — - he already has an endorsement challenge from a right wing conservative — - Hovland could run as Democrat and easily pick up the seat for the DFL. In fact,
if it were Hovland against anyone by Erhardt, I’d guarantee a pick for the House DFL.
Jeremy, sounds like you think that a candidate should hang out in party circles for years before they even dare to run. Since city council races in Edina are non-partisan, it seems to me that anyone who has been able to keep both Republicans and Democrats happy might just do pretty well in the race.
Thought, who’s challenging Erhardt?
Here’s something interesting in today’s Strib.
Looks like there are a few folks out there that think he should take a run.
Everett -
Actually, what I really think is that candidates who switch parties to maximize their ability to run for an open seat are - at best - opportunistic. At worst, Norm Coleman-wanna-bes. If he feels so strongly about being a democrat - why didn’t he switch parties months or years ago? Why is he waiting to switch parties only when there’s a political opportunity?
That’s not political courage. That’s Norm Coleman.
If Hovland has such wonderful bi-partisan appeal, why doesn’t he just run as the Republican he’s been for his whole career? If the answer is that he’s less likely to win as a Republican (and I’m pretty sure that’s the answer) then let me suggest that he keep his presence out of the DFL endorsement and primary system. We don’t need him.
Good point, Jeremy. If Hovland really wanted to be a Democrat, he would have switched parties months ago. Instead, he switches when Ramstad’s seat opens up.
I’m so impressed with Hovland’s sincerity.
If he guy is such a great bi-partisan candidate, he would have remained a candidate. Who does he think he is - Norm Coleman???
Who cares if somebody “feels strongly about being a Democrat”. They should care strongly about representing their district, not a party.
How many city council members/school board members in cities/districts that have non-partisan elections make their party affiliations known? Very few in the city in which I live.
He had no reason to say one way or the other prior to this. Now a seat opens up which he thinks he could serve in and he’s forced to say. We don’t register by parties in Minnesota. How do we know he hasn’t been voting for Dems prior to this? We don’t.
Also I noticed in the newspaper article, the republicans said it wasn’t like he’s been active in their party.
I say give the guy a fair look.
Which is better:
a) Someone who says that their viewpoint is no longer accepted by their party, so they need to find a different party?
OR
b) Someone who says that their viewpoint is no longer accepted by their party, so they need to find a different viewpoint?
I would suggest that ‘a’ doesn’t happen enough and ‘b’ happens way too often.
Do people think that all the suburban voters that gave the DFL big majorities are all hardcore Democrats? A lot of them are people just like Hovland, who feel that the Republican party left them behind.
As far as the timing, Ramstad’s retirement changed a lot for a lot of people. Bonhoff certainly wasn’t planning on running for Congress. And I sincerely doubt that Simon was planning to move to another congressional district.