Edina Mayor Jim Hovland got a write up in the Star Tribune today. Its well worth a read.
Edina Mayor Jim Hovland is a good example of the conflicted and wide-open political nature of the metro area’s western suburbs.
A longtime Republican, he is not shy about expressing frustration over what he sees as the extreme nature of the Republican Party these days, calling it “a marching progression to a more consolidated base and a smaller party.”
He supports abortion rights and mass transit. He’s also thinking about running to replace Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad, who announced his retirement after nine terms.
And if Hovland runs, he’ll run as a Democrat. Hovland said Friday that he had switched parties.
I have to admit that I am intrigued by a possible Hovland candidacy, I’m looking forward to hearing more from him over the next few weeks.
[Sean Adds:] Awww shucks, Zack beat me to the punch, but I think he left out the money quote.
As for the potential defection, state Republicans are not surprised, saying Hovland has not been active in the party.
“It sounds like he’s just a very ambitious guy who smells an opportunity here,” said party spokesman Mark Drake.
I laughed so hard scrambled eggs came out of my nose.
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“It sounds like he’s just a very ambitious guy who smells an opportunity here,” said party spokesman Mark Drake.
Isn’t that the same thing someone said about Normie when he became a Republican??
he seems like a nice guy but what i like best about the article is that he says he’s going to take a month to talk to dflers and folks in the district and see what they think, because he doesn’t want to waste his time or their time. GREAT IDEA! More candidates should do it.
My guess is that if he listens carefully to the answers, he will find that DFLers will be supporting Bonoff and Simon over him even though they like him. And his work and support will be important even if he is not leading the parade.
I also appreciate Betty McCollum’s recruiting but it doesn’t seem helpful here and along with her support for Ciresi over Klobuchar early in the ‘06 cycle seems to reflect a bit of unfounded pessimism and preference for male candidates which makes no sense in a swing suburb.
You have to ask yourself, has the man changed or has the party changed? Here is a guy, a moderate Republican, who is close to the center on many issues. He sees the Republican party going very far to the right wing and is bothered by it. So he, with the same values, positions, and beliefs that were once accepted by the Republican party but no longer are, is realizing that the Democratic ticket might be the right place for him.
This happens to ALOT of people (me included), but most people don’t have to publicly declare to the media that they are switching parties! If Jim Ramstad was an unknown today, and with the exact same beliefs he’s always had wanted to run for Congress, I bet he would not be endorsed by the GOP… he potentially would be making the same move as Hovland.
The people of the 3rd want someone like Ramstad — parties, you can figure out where that fits on the political spectrum, but you will be mistaken to put forth a candidate that is a favorite of the base (either base).
I have more respect for someone like Hovland who questions which party his long-held beliefs align with than I do someone who decides their stances based upon party-generated position papers.
I had to laugh when I read Mark Drake’s comment that Hovland must be very ambitious. Hovland served on the Edina City Council for several years - he did not make a move to run for Mayor until Mayor Maetzold decided to retire. When Hovland stepped up to run he had no challenger. This is a guy who puts in lots of hours as Mayor - goes to the capitol lobbies on Transportation, writes commentaries, creates and Energy and Environment Commission for Edina, writes about the need to address global warming…
opportunist? Nah…this is a guy with a vision who wants to step up and serve.
To add to Demure One’s statement. It is not as thought the DFL candidates that have expressed interest had talked openly about challenging Ramstad for the seat before he retired. None of them would have given up fairly secure seats to get spanked by a sitting Republican. They are every bit as opportunistic as Hovland. There is nothing wrong with taking advantage of an honest opportunity by any of the candidates. It is what you do with it.
Kerosene - You’re missing the point here. Taking advantage of an opportunity is all fine and good. But switching parties to take advantage of it is slimy and unprincipled. Hovland has been a Republican for his entire career. Then, all of a sudden, he decides to switch parties. Why? Because he can’t win a primary or an endorsement as a Republican!
That’s why he’s switching.
Blogger’s line about “the party’s changed, not Hovland” is the biggest load of crap that I’ve read on this board since … I’ve started reading this board. BLOGGER! WAKE UP! The GOP didn’t change this year or last - it changed, oh, twenty-five years ago, in Reagan’s second term. Brace yourself, Blogger: the last time that Hovland would have won a GOP 3rd CD endorsement was *maybe* 1990, the year that Ramstad got it.
Hovland seems to have a track record as a moderate & isn’t just an opportunist, though I sure don’t know him from Adam.
People realizing what a mess the Republicans have become & jumping ship is important. As long as they are honest people. Sounds like he might be a little more in the mold of Ramstad.
Thus maybe my observation doesn’t apply in this instance, however:
Something to watch for are people who really haven’t moved from the Republican Party of old. Who change because their party left them wanting & peering into the compound from outside the “People’s Temple” fence.
What used to be the Republican Party was taken over by radical self-serving Neocon sleeper agents, a lot like we used to hear about Manchurian Candidates. Sneaking in the back door because its easier to take a party over than to create one from the ground up.
As the Neocon Republican Party loses warm bodies,
or is not electable, one has to expect that Neocons will try to replicate the takeover with “Independents” or even conservative “Dems” by joining, yet mutating that party.
Time to avoid the double talk & rewriting definitions to words
St Paul Sage - y’know I supported Klobuchar over Cerisi…
Now I am not so sure. Klobuchar didn’t show the sense of an Obama in her voting for a scam vote about a paid ad.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Cerisi in the mix somewhere, but he won’t be the candidate for the Wellstone seat on which Normy now squats.
Does Cerisi qualify for that Congressional seat?
Mockingbird- I agree with your assessment of the neo-cons and the Republican party. Reagan opened the door with his accommodation of the religious right and tested the interventionist ideas in Central and South America (though Democrats tried it on a larger scale in Viet Nam). As for the same ideals invading the Democratic party I think you are a little late. The primary example is leading the Democratic field for their Presidential nomination.
Both parties have eliminated 90% of their grass roots in favor of a message that is crafted at the top and franchised down to state and local levels. The neo-cons had nothing until GWB and GW did not present his beliefs in any easy decipherable way until after he was elected. Authoritarian philosophies rarely grow at local levels.