A Republican with deep ties to the Minnesota business community has decided against a run for governor next year.
Minnesota Business Partnership Executive Director Charlie Weaver said today he won’t get into the wide-open race. Weaver had been mulling a campaign since incumbent GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty ruled out a third-term bid.
Weaver is a former state legislator, state agency commissioner and chief of staff to Pawlenty.
I don’t know if he could have gotten the GOP nomination, but Weaver would have been a very strong general election candidate for the Republicans. He’s a moderate and has a strong base in Anoka County, a key battleground in statewide elections. You can add Weaver to the list of potentially strong Republican candidates (Pawlenty, Coleman, Sviggum, Sullivan, etc…) who have passed on this race. Every day it looks more and more likely that Marty Siefert will be the Republican nominee, and that makes every day a good day for Democrats.
UPDATE: For those who think I’m crazy when I say Weaver would have been a strong candidate, check out this “top ten reasons I won’t be running for Governor” that he released today…
1. The Governor’s Residence is nice, but it ain’t Anoka;
2. Old streaking ” incident” makes endorsement unlikely;
3. Has only raised $25.13 so far;
4. Discovered that he has to pay for personal parties at the Residence;
5. Thinks unallotment is a board game;
6. Troopers told him he couldn’t wander the Residence in his underwear;
7. Friends are too “busy” to attend convention;
8. Gift ban makes it harder to get free stuff;
9. Not interested in all those boring budget meetings; and
10. Recent polling reveals he would lose to the intoxicated motorized LazyBoy guy.
Amazing candor. Love it!
I think Laura Brod *could* be a game-changer on the GOP side. She communicates well, is smart (and usually wrong) and seems to have an appeal beyond the crazy wing of the party. She's kind of Pawlenty-esque.