There has been a lot of interest in the potential 3rd CD candidacy of Rep. Steve Simon over the past few days. Its seems like everytime we write a post about the 3rd District, someone asks in the comments “whats going on with Steve Simon?” Its not terribly surprising given that Simon is one of the most intelligent and gifted polticians in the Minnesota Legislature.
Well, I had a chance to talk with the good Representative today and he told me that he is still considering a run for Congress.
Simon is running in the Twin Cities Marathon tomorrow and said that any decision about a run for Congress will come after the race. In his words, “one marathon at a time.”
I hope Rep. Simon runs. He would be a much stronger candidate than Sen. Bonoff. Plus, I think we all agree that democracy should be able more than 1 person running.
In other words, he’s … RUNNING. Get it?
Any bets on whether he breaks 4:00:00? (and 60% on the second ballot?)
While I don’t have a real opinion yet on either Bonoff or Simon (or any others, for that matter), this race needs more candidates! I hope Simon goes for it.
as i stated before, in many districts in the country, the candidates are already set. if ms. bonoff is a quality candidates who represents her party and her district effectively then we don’t actually NEED more candidates.
as for it being democratic to have more than one candidate, i’m confident that there will be a republican candidate, too:)
a good endorsement fight is fine but then the parties have to line up behind their candidates and be ready for a hell of a battle. my own inclination is to believe that a moderate woman matches up better against paulsen than another ambitious white guy.
“my own inclination is to believe that a moderate woman matches up better against paulsen than another ambitious white guy”
That’s interesting. Call me crazy, but I’d actually like to hear what each prospect has to say and then send the most able candidate to the general.
Simon will wipe the floor with Bonoff. Once people get a look at some of the crazy stuff she voted for over in the Senate, they’ll go with him.
“Once people get a look at some of the crazy stuff she voted for over in the Senate, they’ll go with him.”
Not from CD3, so…for example?
Bonoff and Simon both voted for the stadium boondoggle I believe. Bonoff voted against the DFL caucus and with the Chamber of Commerce on some legislation - so she has some fiscally moderate credentials.
Simon is the stronger speaker.
I don’t think a candidate’s gender ought to be criteria for endorsement.
With the Republicans, it looks like it will be Paulsen - and possibly Zellers. I think Paulsen easily wins the GOP endorsement in that scenario.
Simon has been a great legislator and would be an excellent Congressman! I hope he gets in the race — we need more people like him and maybe Congress could get things done.
Simon is not going to run. He would have lined up support and and prospects by now.
I called it first.
Bonoff’s fiscal moderation could serve her well in the general. Plus, how-ever ‘Vote for Mom’ the CD3 DFL has been, I think there own closet interest in a lot of those chamber of commerce issues could prevent it from sinking her.
The stadium might have been a boondoggle - but it seems to fall under the ‘bread and circuses’ exception to which revenue hike people will get fired up about.
i know steve and i like him. i think he would be a good congressperson. but on paper, a moderate woman who lives in the district and has won a swing SENATE seat wholly in the 3rd, and has business background and a family of 6 is MUCH stronger candidate than a smart guy who lives outside the district, represents very little of the district and is single.
should things like marital status and gender or even political party matter? maybe not in a perfect world - but they matter a whole lot in a political campaign in this world and somebody’s going to have show me what steve simon or tim hovland has in terms of electoral appeal to outweigh bonoff’s advantages. saying that candidate x will wipe the floor with candidate Y doesn’t tell me anything.
I actually didn’t realize Simon lived outside the district. To me, that always creates an uphill battle for a candidate. Would that mean he lives in the 5th? If so, I’m surprised he didn’t make a run for Sabo’s seat.
Thanks for the info.
When I first met Jim Ramstad in the Student Senate of the UofM I thought he was the ultimate frat-rat Republican. Over the years I’ve come to respect his moderate to liberal (for a Republican) leanings and his representation of his constituents in the formerly moderate/Republican 3 District. (I may have even voted for him once…)
The district has shifted to the left of center, and while Ramstad was probably in for life if he wanted to be, a Democrat can now represent the district better than a Republican who would be nominated from today’s Republican Party. The likelyhood of a pro-choice, anti-gun, pro-health care, anti-Iraq war candidate coming out of that mess of a party is unlikely.
It’s a great opportunity for a moderate DFLer with Simon’s intellect or Bonoff’s credentials to be elected and serve for a couple of decades.
If I didn’t live on a beach 5,000 miles away I’d be proud to campaign for either one of them.
Simon lives outside the district…but just barely. His inner-burbs House district straddles the 5th and the 3rd and he happens to currrently live a little ways inside the 5th CD side while he represents both 3rd and 5th CD constituents in the legislature. But Steve grew up in Hopkins 100%, in the Knollwood neighborhood over in the Oak Ridge area: Alice Smith Elem., North Jr. High, Hopkins High ‘88. His dad still lives in Hopkins as well.
Steve listened to Jim Gilbert and Det. Upens when they visited the schools, checked out (berated?) the monster trucks when they used to cruise Main St. Hopkins, dined at Vic’s Red Door, washed cars and did hacks in Interlaken Park, did his dry cleaning at Mashek’s, bought his ice skates at Kokesh, his food at Tait’s and Lund’s and even had some sweaters from Lancers, I believe.
For “career day” in jr. high, he spent the day with a then State Senator representing Mtka., a guy by the name of Jim Ramstad. Steve’s 3rd CD credentials and roots run very deep. Anyone saying otherwise would be “stepping in it.”
a lot of people have deep 3rd district roots, but if they don’t currently live in the 3rd, that is a negative that they would have to overcome if they ran for the seat. furthermore, steve represents exactly one precinct in the 3rd district winning about 400 votes there. terri won about 20,000 votes in the 3rd district in her last race.
this doesn’t mean steve can’t run or be a good congressperson, but it does mean that he and his supporters have to explain what his positives are that overwhelm the electoral disadvantages he has in comparison to Ms. Bonoff - gender, marital and family status, his slightly awkward residence issue, and his lack of electoral history in the 3rd congressional district.