State Senator Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook) endorsed Mike Ciresi today. During a light hearted moment last session, Bakk was crowned “King of the Range” by other the other “Ranger” lawmakers (a designation, by the way, which is not strictly geographical. Al Juhnke, who represents Willmar, is a Ranger). Bakk is the second fourth Iron Range lawmaker to endorse in the Senate race: Tom Anzelc, Loren Solberg and Tom Saxhaug endorsed Al Franken earlier in the year.
“Mike has spent his career improving people’s lives by either fighting for fairness in the courtroom or building an international business that provides good paying jobs with quality health care and pensions right here in our state … he has the judgment, experience and leadership to continue to improve the quality of life for all Minnesotans.”
Bakk said he met with Ciresi last summer. “We talked about mining and logging and land use issues. I’m comfortable where he will fall on those issues in the Senate,” he said.
Bakk is a major player at the Legislature, where he chairs the Senate Taxes Committee. He is also considering a run for Governor in 2010.
It will be interesting to see if the other Rangers follow their King. Apologies to Franken supporters, it would seem that two more Iron Range legislators have endorsed Franken. I thought Anzelc was the only one so far. I went by memory and I should have checked.
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Allow a Ranger to help out here.
The crown and title “King of the Range” is not bounded by geographical representation as its a legislative inside thing. Who cares?
However, being a Ranger is geographical. If your town was not around the Vermilion, Mesabi, Gunflint or Cuyuna Range areas, you’re not a Ranger and not part of the legislative Range delegation if your district doesn’t cover a part of those areas. Duluth doesn’t count either.
I’m sure you know this and it just read the opposite.
Zack not to gripe too much but you never announced anything on your site last week when Senator Scott Dibble endorsed Al Franken. As the only openly gay DFL Senator I find that significant. So while the King of the Range may have endorsed Ciresi, the King of Queens endorsed Al ;)
Senator Bakk really went after Al Franken and he said nice things about Senator Coleman:
“‘I don’t know if star quality plays all that well on the Range. Politics isn’t a funny thing, people take it seriously.
‘I’m just guessing but I think if you put the two (Ciresi and Franken) in the Miners Memorial Building, Range people would come away saying Ciresi had the better communication skills and was a better debater … they would have a more positive perception of him,’ Bakk said.
And that, Bakk added, will be important in going up against Coleman.
‘A lot of people on the Iron Range like Norm Coleman. And Coleman will be very well educated on the issues … he knows them, he lives them every day,’ he said.” Source: Mesabi Daily News, November 28, 2007
The best quotes from Bakk:
“I think he definitely has the best chance of beating Coleman. It will be a more positive campaign with Ciresi as the candidate. I, too, think the Bush Administration has taken this country in the wrong direction on Iraq and other issues. But I think Franken is obsessed with the war issue. He is more anti than Mike. He is too negative.
“People want to hear your ideas and want to vote for someone not just against someone. Mike definitely has that stronger message,” Bakk said.
The senator from Cook believes Ciresi is generally more in tune with all Minnesotans than Franken, including some strong ties with the business community. “I just don’t think Al Franken is well connected with Minnesota. He (Ciresi) didn’t just come back to his state to run for senator.”
Jake, you and Dibble should just skip the middleman (Franken) and endorse Norm Coleman.