WoMN Focus

Two new interviews out today, one for each of the 6th CD candidates.

Big E over at MN Progressive Project interviewed Tarryl Clark:

…[T]this district is looking for a hard worker,” she continued. “And nobody will outwork me. Quality of work is also important as well as sensible leadership.”

“I doorknock 40 hours a week when campaigning,” she said. “Voters will know and trust me. I’ll get my message that I have a track record of bringing people together to get things done. They may not always agree with me, but they’ll feel that they can approach me.”

And Eric Black at Minnpost interviews the other DFL candidate, Maureen Reed:

In a previous conversation, I asked Reed for her abortion position, but she was willing to talk only about the importance of preventing unwanted pregnancies and other measures to reduce the number of abortions, but when I pressed for a basic “pro-life” or “pro-choice” statement (as those terms are commonly used), she deferred her answer to another day. Because the 6th District has the highest pro-life index of any Minnesota Congressional district, I asked again yesterday, and this time, Reed went further.

She is not looking to have Roe v. Wade overturned. But she seems in some way to believe that abortions can be justified only to save the life or health of the mother, which is not what Roe v. Wade holds, at least during the early stages of a pregnancy. She rejects the terms “pro-life” and “pro-choice,” saying she is neither. She is “pro-health and pro-prevention.”

The two interviews together are an interesting contrast. Big E’s interview was not deep on issues, which he states he will get into in another post, although he’s clear to state that she’s “she’s good on all the issues we think are important.” On the other hand, Black attempted to drill down on issues like whether Reed will abide by the endorsement or how she stands on reproductive rights, and appears to walk away unsure on both stances.

As the race continues and delegates go further toward making their decisions I have no doubt though that we will have a much clearer understanding of the similarities and differences of the two woman both between themselves and, obviously, Rep. Bachmann.

Today, Doug Grow announced that state Senator Terri Bonoff may be considering challenging 3rd CD representative Erik Paulsen for his congressional seat. Bonoff lost the DFL endorsement to Ashwin Madia during the 2008 cycle, but appears to be contemplating a second attempt.

Should Bonoff end up as the DFL candidate and manage to beat Rep. Paulsen, that would most likely bring Minnesota a third female congressional representative, one step closer to a gender balance that matches the state’s own gender demographic.

But would she be a better fit for the district? That analysis soon…

Today, Tinklenberg announced he is no longer in the running to challenger Rep. Bachmann. This means that, to my utter delight, this is now a three woman fight to win the 6th, with DFLer Tarryl Clark and former IP Lt Governor candidate Maureen Reed vying for the DFL nomination. It is nearly impossible at this point for the 6th CD representative not to be a women.

Tarryl Clark had this to say about Tinklenberg’s departure from the race:

“From day one, El and I have shared the common goal of changing the 6th District’s representation in Congress. El knows first-hand from his work just how much is at stake for the working families and small businesses across Minnesota. I thank El for his dedication and public service, and know he will continue to be a leader in our community.”

And Maureen Reed has gave this statement:

“First and foremost, I want to thank El Tinklenberg for his dedication to public service. He has worked hard on behalf of the citizens of the sixth district and this state as Mayor of Blaine, State Transportation Commissioner and as a Congressional Candidate. El is a tremendous public servant. I wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

In the meantime, Clark has already been racking up endorsements, from the SCSU Young Dems to today’s announcement from AFSCME.

Will these early endorsements translate to big fund raising numbers? Time will only tell.

Her announcement video:

I’m excited by this news, as I think Clark will be an excellent challenger to Rep. Bachmann. I will admit I’m slightly surprised — the 6th CD probably has the greatest chance of any district of disappearing if Minnesota does lose a congressional seat after the census, and running for an office that may only exist for such a short time. Then again, should she defeat Bachmann there would be no greater hero within the DFL party.

The race now consists of three women, Bachmann, the GOP incumbent, and now Clark and former Independence Party candidate Maureen Reed vying against Elwyn Tinklenberg for the DFL endorsement. Such a crowded DFL field means a large amount of money to be spent before we even reach the actual primary. Reed has already shown some promise in the last quarter in fundraising, and Tinklenberg was able to raise great amounts near the end of 2008, albeit more out of Bachmann’s publicity than his own efforts. It will be interesting to see what sort of momentum Clark’s entry in the race brings for all three potential DFL candidates’ fundraising numbers.

Additional note: The website is odd. The straight url for tarrylclark.com redirects. I wish they had fixed that before the launch.

Edited to add: Well good, the url appears to be fixed. Much better.

Former state auditor Pat Anderson has declares for governor today. From her new website:

Supporting my candidacy is choosing reform. It’s choosing a new direction of how and what we do in government. Real reform requires vision, leadership, trust and the will to get the job accomplished. And while others may talk about reform, I have actually accomplished it in state government as State Auditor and as the Commissioner of the Department of Employee Relations. I’ll do it again as governor.

Looking at Anderson’s website, one thing you notice right away is her lack of any mention of social issues in her issues section. Unlike Marty Seifert, who dedicates two paragraphs to his anti-choice legislation, Anderson doesn’t put forth her views on choice.

Will social issues be moved to the back burner in the GOP race to the nomination? Are gay marriage and abortion no longer the banner issues used in selecting a candidate? It will be interesting to see how many GOP candidates mention hot button topics like social issues, immigration, and gun rights as the nomination process continues.

Via Eric Black, in a list of who will and will not abide by the DFL endorsement for governor, he puzzled out what he calls the “gender factor”:

The gender factor
It may also be noteworthy that the two women currently seeking (in the case of Gaertner, who has been a declared candidate for many months) or planning to seek (in the case of Kelliher) the nomination have made firm pledges to abide.

It is widely assumed, and for good reason, that whatever happens at the convention, Dayton and Entenza will be running in the primary. If the endorsee is neither of them but is a male, that would put a three-man field in the primary. Minnesota has never had a woman as governor, nor even as a major-party nominee for governor. There are certainly activists and donors, in Minnesota and nationally, who would be anxious to see that streak broken. A primary pitting one female candidate against three males would bring some favorable math into the picture for the woman.

Gaertner is generally not rated as a top-five candidate for endorsement, but Kelliher is. If she wins the endorsement, she will presumably face at least two wealthy male candidates who plan to run in the primary and perhaps others. In that scenario, the gender math would work in her favor, as well as the advantages of being the endorsee. By pledging to abide, she presumably increases her chance of being the endorsee. But by pledging to abide, she also forgoes the opportunity to potentially enter a primary without the endorsement but in a lineup that could be favorable to lone female against two or three or even more men.

I believe that Eric is likely right — in a three-way race between Dayton, Entenza and Anderson-Kelliher, she would be very hard to stop, as Dayton and Entenza would have a lot in common in regards not just to gender, but also the impression they would make on voters with predominately self-financed campaigns.

But I’m not sure it would still be the same if she did not get the endorsement, assuming there was another candidate who did get it. As we learned from watching the 5th CD primary in 2006, the more people who enter the primary, the more important the endorsement becomes. Erlandson thought his connections and money could get him through despite Ellison’s endorsement, but he and Ostrow never got very far on primary night. And despite being the only woman in the race, Ember Reichgott Junge only ended up with I think 20% overall. Without the primary endorsement, it really is in her best interest to stay as speaker for now, rather than challenge the endorsee in a primary.

Of course, if there is no endorsement, I think all bets will be off for everyone..,.

It must be staffer Monday! Susan Gaertner has just released information about her latest hire — Communication Director Kate Monson.

From the press release:

Monson has worked in several capacities on various Minnesota political campaigns and most recently as communications director for the 2008 Tinklenberg campaign in the Sixth Congressional District. Monson views her time in the Sixth District as valuable and formative, and looks forward to bringing this experience to the Gaertner campaign.

As we mentioned earlier, Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher is said to have recently made a hire, as well. Seems like this will be a very busy summer.

Eric Black says yes.

I confirmed the choice of Jaime Tincher with Speaker [Anderson Kelliher] Sunday evening. Although she remains an unannounced candidate, the exchange, and the selection of a campaign manager, left little doubt that the speaker is moving forward and not being particularly mysterious about it.

Tincher has until recently been manager of the DFL’s Coordinated Campaign. She has given notice to the party that she is leaving that job. She and the speaker have not signed a contract and as a legal matter there is, for now, no Margaret for governor campaign committee.

MnpACT interviews Susan Gaertner as part of their 2010 governor candidates series. You can watch the whole video here.

Dave Mindeman gives a brief summary of the event on his blog. In general, he praised her candidness and her general progressive stands. His major caveat is, as many people say, her role in dealing with the 2008 Republican National Convention.

Susan Gaertner is a good progressive candidate. I think she would make a great governor. But the RNC issues will be a drag on her candidacy…if she can resolve that issue to everyone’s satisfaction, she could do well. Her candor is refreshing.

It might also explain why she ended her part of the forum with what she claims will be her only “pledge” of the campaign…..

The Republican National Convention will NOT return to Minnesota.

Be sure to both read the excellent MnpACT summary, as well as watch the full video to better learn about Gaertner and her views.

And Minnesota Brown also snagged an interview with the Ramsey County Attorney. It’s a very personable, upbeat interview, and Aaron ends with this summary:

Susan Gaertner is a sharp, refreshing candidate who could struggle to break out of the pack because of her lack of name recognition and local government background. If she succeeds in visiting every corner of the state before precinct caucuses and impresses future delegates, she could catch fire and become an extremely tough nominee for the GOP to beat. However, the curse of gender and identity politics means that if House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher runs, much of the oxygen could be sucked out of Gaertner’s campaign. Regardless, Gaertner deserves the attention of future delegates.

So, can Gaertner, as she claims, position herself as the next Amy Klobuchar: the tough woman prosecutor?

In today’s Star Tribune, Lori Sturdevant writes that this year voters seem to want a little less stubble on the faces of their gubernatorial candidates.

Speaking last month before a Twin West Chamber of Commerce audience sprinkled with gubernatorial wannabes, I was pressed to predict the two big-party nominees for governor in 2010.

The candidates in attendance– all of them male — sat in rapt attention. I took a deep breath.

“With all due respect to the male hopefuls here present, I think there’s a lot of interest in both of the big parties in nominating a woman for governor this time,” I allowed.

Dismissive looks crossed a few candidates’ faces. But in the rest of audience, I spotted affirmative nods.

As we’ve mentioned here repeatedly, there are many women from both sides of the aisle considering a run. Sturdevant focused her GOP attention on former state auditor Pat Anderson, whom she considers the female front runner now that Rep. Laura Brod is currently out due to health issues. That matches up with Sarah Janecek’s thoughts in her latest round of power-rankings.

But should she change from just expressing interest to an actual exploratory effort, I think Rep. Michelle Fischbach could be a pretty strong contender as well. Although Janecek relegates her to second tier due to, among other things, her untested fundraising prowess, I have to assume that having a husband who runs the largest pro-life organization in Minnesota would give her candidacy a boost. With Anderson’s heft as president of the Free Market Institute, a battle between the two could have interesting results; when it comes to focusing on fiscal or social issues, who would be victorious within the party’s base?

In some ways, heading into 2010 the MNGOP has just as wide an array of excellent female candidates for their party as the DFL does. The real question seems to be whether the party delegates agree and give one the chance to run as the nominee?

(For an excellent scorecard of who is in and who is out in the race for 2010, click here)