We reported this morning about a lawsuit that had been filed against Randy Demmer a little more than 10 years ago and how the merits of the suit were unclear at best. We made attempts to contact numerous people involved with the case and Randy Demmer’s campaign sent us further information this morning which we relayed. As the day has progressed it has become increasingly apparent that this is a game of intra-party dirty politics.
Even more troubling is the manner in which this game developed. The Rochester Post Bulletin reports:
A couple weeks ago, state Rep. Randy Demmer received an ominous call. It was a warning, delivered through an intermediary from Washington, D.C.: Drop your candidacy for U.S. Congress or information about a sexual harassment lawsuit settled a decade ago would be dredged up to damage your campaign.
Threatening a State Legislator like this is on its face reprehensible, but this is especially remarkable as it seems that the lawsuit is without merit and doesn’t pose any real challenge to Demmer’s campaign.
Having a better perspective on the whole story at this hour, it looks as though this is just a dirty game of mud-flinging, but the question remains: who is the mud-flinger? Bluestem Prairie provides thoughtful analysis:
Despite a comment in the Post, this doesn’t look like a story driven by Demmer’s Democratic opponents, but rather an internal partisan battle. After all, there would have been no incentive for the DFL to ask Demmer to drop out before the Republican endorsing convention at the end of March.
Bluestem Prairie’s hypothesis that it’s none other than 1st CD GOP candidate Brian Davis or his allies. No one really knows, but Bluestem’s final word seems sound:
We don’t know if Demmer or Davis tipped off a lefty blogger about the lawsuits. But the story isn’t the lawsuits: it’s the strong possibility of Davis’ dirty campaigning — while publicly claiming victimization at the county convention last weekend.
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But Matt, you’re a Democrat and MN Publius is run by all Democratic bloggers. MN Publius attacked Demmer.
I would challenge anyone to point to an attack in our post from this morning. Not only does it go out of its way to note that the claim is old and had been dismissed, but we also immediately posted the materials sent to us by the Demmer campaign.
Sure sounds like a vicious attack to me!
Matt, have some pity on Mike. He doesn’t know who’s going to be paying him in the 1st, so he can’t well report on a move by some-one he might be bought by in a few months, can he?
Michael!!
If MN PUBLIUS attacked Randy Demmer on a personal level rather than posting the suit that was dismissed in 1996, then elephants fly!!!
Even I posted on your blog that Demmer “suspects the effort originates in Republican circles, because he’s not even the endorsed candidate to oppose Democrat Tim Walz yet. He also said he received a call from a Republican in Washington, an apparent ally, who had received a package and called to warn him”….a quote from another PB article in the same day’s edition.
Matt,
How can you claim that nobody knows who leaked the Demmer story?!?! Clearly you received the information from somebody. Why don’t *you* say who your source was for the story?
I can’t believe what I’m reading. This is pretty simple to figure out. Demmer found out that something he has tried to cover up for years might be made public. (By the way, what if it was just somebody who didn’t like the fact that this guy has been such a hypocrite for years) He got nervous and tried to spin it in his favor. The problem for him is no matter what he does, he’s done. Republicans won’t want any part of his problems. If this was a Democrat, we’d do the same thing. This is great. Actually, I hope the conservatives fall in line behind Demmer. When you campaign as a religious conservative, it’s best not to have a history of peepholes in women’s bathrooms on public record. Ooops! Who is running his campaign? Jim Bakker or Jerry Falwell? Sit back and enjoy the train wreck happen before our eyes… Demmer is the classic, lying, politician just trying to save his skin. Wonder what he’ll do next? Sit back and enjoy the ride.
Matt,
Are you intentionally not answering my question, or did you not see it from the other comments being posted? You received the information about Demmer from someone. Why don’t you say who gave you the Demmer story?
Chris, I only saw your comment just now, but believe me, we’ve pursued that avenue and although I doubt this will satisfy you, I assure you that the informant is entirely benign. This information has been circulating around in the 1st district since Monday (and some have known about it for longer, as Bluestem Prairie pointed out). The guy who sent it to us was one of many who had become conscious of the story since the dirt was kicked up. The real question is who originally kicked the dirt up…
Could it just be possible Chris that Matt got the link from somewhere else like the Rochester PB?? It would not surprise me how other blogs may have picked up on this. The Demmer articles were already posted on the PB website on Wednesday morning.
Kathy,
MNPublius had the story on their web site before the Post Bulletin had it on their web site. In fact, MNPublius had the story the night before but did not post until first thing Wednesday morning. I was asking Matt if he got the story through a particular campaign. As Bluestem Prairie has pointed out, the Davis campaign routinely shops stories to the left wing blogosphere. I wondered if Davis was Matt’s source.
Is this the same Dimmer that went after Keith Ellison? Didn’t he give a forum to the woman who tried to accuse Keith of harassment even after it was disputed by the cops and others? Yes.
Hmmm. So, will he remain a member of the caucus?
Brodkorb has no credibility to plea anything on this. When Dems like Hillary and Obama fight, he finds delight in it and posts it proudly. He was also a partner in trying to tie harassment allegations to Ellison.
Its ‘Emmer’ not Demmer that I’m thinking of. Demmer still sucks.