WoMN Focus

She’s signed the papers, and she’s ready to run for governor!

See her campaign website here.

From the press release:

Over the past few months I have traveled the state talking to Minnesotans just like you. Today, with the support of my family, friends and people across the state, I took the first step to become our next governor by filing the necessary paperwork to run.

Growing up on a southern Minnesota dairy farm, I learned at a young age there is always more work to be done. The same could be said for our state right now. Our economy has been battered by the global recession and many families are worried about job losses, wage cuts and the ever-rising cost of health care.

Minnesota’s next governor faces tough challenges. We need a leader who understands the task in front of us, and who knows it will take more than one person to rebuild our state. That’s the experience, and the commitment, I will bring as Minnesota’s governor. It took more than one person to finally break through and improve the safety and quality of Minnesota’s bridges and roads. I built a coalition of people who did not always see eye-to-eye, but were ready to find common ground and work together. It took more than one person to pass Minnesota’s nation-leading renewable energy standard. Together, we made Minnesota a leader in the green economy.

Now as we look ahead, the challenges are real, but our path forward is clear. As Minnesota’s next governor and with your support, we will make Minnesota a world economic leader, build a healthier, more productive workforce and provide every child from pre-kindergarten through college the opportunity for a great education.

In a few weeks, I will formally announce my candidacy. It will take more than one person to win the DFL endorsement and this election. It will take a coalition of people who believe in Minnesota and our ability to succeed. I’m asking you to take the next step in making me our next governor.

Politics in Minnesota does their latest at a glance of the Minnesota 2010 governor’s race, with a hot or not snapshot of both parties.

Not hot, according to PIM? Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher. And, with such a flattering write-up, that may not be such a bad thing:

WHO’S NOT

DFL: Margaret Anderson Kelliher

A few months ago, there were many at the Capitol who thought Kelliher could claim the DFL endorsement without breaking a sweat. We’ve been a little shocked at the vehemence with which her role in the end-of-session dynamics at the Legislature this year has been condemned by people in and around the gubernatorial race. To hear some of them tell it, her failed tactical judgment–and her lack of composure when the unallotment bomb was first dropped–have damaged her not-yet-announced candidacy past repair.

As the lone candidate from DFL legislative leadership, she’s bound to take that heat. But we would argue that if Kelliher’s stock was artificially inflated before the end of the legislative session, it’s artificially depressed now. She’s still a leading endorsement contender for several reasons. Kelliher is one of the most visible, connected, and publicly liked people in the Legislature. As a farm girl who now represents one of the toniest districts in the Twin Cities, she sports a personal biography that straddles the town-and-country divide, and her style reflects that. As a woman who is very popular with female pols and organizations, she has built enormous goodwill and fundraising potential in advance of a race in which many Democrats want to see a woman running. (Susan Gaertner, the other DFL woman in the field, appears to have far less traction on this front.)

If this is the “not” I can’t wait to see what people write about her when she’s on the “hot” list.

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..,.

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)

In the wake of rumors that she is considering a run, either challenging Rep.Michele Bachmann for congress or doing a gubernatorial run of her own, Minnpost publishes a piece about the DFL’s new headliner.

Don’t worry if you haven’t heard much of Clark. She hardly ranks with the semi-household names like Sviggum and Moe of recent Capitol eras of the past, or even her contemporaries like long-timers Rep. Phyllis Kahn or Sen. Dick Day. Clark has only been in office since late 2005, when she won in a special election and was re-elected in 2006.

But increasingly, Clark is the face of the DFL at the Capitol. Though the party controls both chambers, and House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher and House Majority Leader Tony Sertich are high-profile, Clark often soaks up her share of the spotlight.

Part of that is by design, especially in regard to Senate politics. There, Sen. Larry Pogemiller is the majority leader, but Clark shares many caucus duties in her assistant leader role. And Pogemiller has a reputation for, to put it charitably, an obstinacy that in the past infuriated GOP leaders, Capitol insiders and Pawlenty. And it doesn’t hurt that Clark is a politician from outside the metro area who happens to be a woman. From that perspective, her rising role makes political sense.

But Clark also possesses what many consider an ambition that is notable even by Capitol standards, and a gift for laying down spin with the best of them.

So is she eyeing higher office? All signs point to yes. The question, still, is which one is she running for?

Via Polinaut:

DFL state Sen. Tarryl Clark told me today that she’s considering a run for governor in 2010. She said she’s looking at her options but said she’s concerned that none of the DFL candidates are from the “growth areas” of the state.

Scheck also has his list of potential gubernatorial candidates. Of the 20 Republicans who have not ruled out runs, 1/4 of them are female candidates (Laura Brod, Pat Anderson, Michele Bachmann, Carol Molnau, and Michelle Fischbach). Of the 12 DFLers running, considering, or at least not saying no, 1/4 of those are women as well (Susan Gaertner, Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Tarryl Clark).

Minnesota has never elected a woman governor, and now we have a 1 in 4 chance of making it happen. I couldn’t be more excited.

WoMN Focus will be watching every step of the way.

Via Politics in Minnesota:

“In just under an hour today, Gov. Pawlenty has done more damage to Minnesota than he has throughout his entire career,” Rep. Margaret Anderson Kelliher (DFL-Minneapolis), the speaker of the House, said in a prepared statement. “The deep cuts he proposes are one more rejection of the fair combination of cuts and revenue preferred by Minnesotans and passed by the Legislature.