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MAPE backs Kelliher for governor

Posted at 11:48 AM on November 12, 2009 by Tim Pugmire (0 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Minnesota Governor

mape028.JPG
Minnesota’s second largest public employee union is backing DFL House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher in her 2010 bid for governor.

Officials with the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE) screened all of the DFL candidates and one Republican earlier this week. But the union’s executive director, Jim Monroe, says Kelliher stood out with her proven leadership skills. During a State Capitol news conference today, Monroe also described Kelliher as the most electable candidate in the field.

“Speaker Kelliher is willing to bring people together to solve problems in a crisis,” Monroe said. “She has a history of respect for state workers and the work that they do.”

MAPE is Kelliher’s first labor endorsement. The state’s largest public employee union, AFSCME Council 5, is backing Mark Dayton for governor.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 22, 2009

For more information contact:
Jaime Tincher, 651-357-4359

Anderson Kelliher campaign gains momentum

with statewide support

Leaders around the state sign on as supporters

(MINNEAPOLIS, MN) – In just over one month since announcing her campaign for governor, Margaret Anderson Kelliher has gathered endorsements from people all over Minnesota.

“It’s really important to me that Minnesotans from all over the state, from all different walks of life, and all different backgrounds are involved in my campaign for Governor,” Kelliher said. “It’s not just my campaign for Governor. It’s our campaign for Governor.”

Last week, Margaret was honored to earn the endorsement of womenwinning: Minnesota Women’s Campaign Fund. womenwinning is an organization committed to increasing the number of women in elected office by providing important financial support to its endorsed candidates.

For a full list of public endorsers, go to http://www.margaretforgovernor.com/grassroots.

Representative Karla Bigham

“I am supporting Margaret for Governor because she can bring people together to solve problems facing Minnesotans. She has a genuine passion for making Minnesota stronger.”

Representative Kathy Brynaert

“Margaret Anderson Kelliher is a strong leader and a great communicator. She has the capacity to refocus the political dialogue on the well being of our state. She has the skills to bring us together as we rebuild our economy in these difficult times.”

Representative Lyndon Carlson

“She’s very experienced. Probably one of the most qualified candidates that we’ve had in recent years. I say this with all confidence, there is probably no one who knows the intricacies of the state budget better than Margaret.”

Representative Frank Hornstein

“I can tell you first-hand we would never have overridden the Governor’s repeated vetoes of the transportation bill without Margaret’s leadership. She brought people together; from the business community, from labor; rural and urban.”

Former State Senator Becky Lourey

“Margaret’s experience is vast – she understands the importance of the countryside and the value it brings to urban and suburban Minnesota. Margaret’s communication skills will help to unite all of Minnesota.”

Representative Paul Marquart

“As the leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives, Speaker Kelliher has focused on the “bread and butter” issues facing rural Minnesota and delivered results that benefit our senior citizens, families, farmers, students and veterans.”

Former State Rep. Frank Moe

“As a Northern Minnesota Legislator it was important that we had a leader who listened to and cared about what we needed up here. As Speaker, Margaret has been that leader.”

Representative Terry Morrow

“Minnesota needs a leader with a heartfelt commitment to Minnesota, our people, and our future. I am confident that Margaret—my leader, my colleague, and my friend—is the right choice for Minnesota.”

Representative John Persell

“I am supporting Margaret because she has the intelligence and common sense to carry out the duties of Governor and move Minnesota forward to a sustainable economy in these changing times.”

Representative Nora Slawik

“She understands if you start educating kids young, and work with their families that you are going to save the state a ton of money.”

Representative Ryan Winkler

“One leader stands out from all the candidates running for governor in 2010: Margaret Anderson Kelliher. Margaret’s remarkable leadership qualities, her integrity, experience and hard work, make her the best choice for governor, and I am proud to support her campaign. I am also excited to support her campaign, because Margaret’s track record of winning elections shows what a strong candidate she will be to lead the DFL to victory in 2010.”

###

(It’s an endorsement we all saw coming, although maybe not quite so soon with Gaertner still in the race. But it does show how serious both Anderson Kelliher and her supporters are going to be about raising money, something womenwinning is VERY good at.)

SAINT PAUL, MN – Today, womenwinning: Minnesota Women’s Campaign Fund, endorsed Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher in her race for Governor of Minnesota.

Speaker Kelliher says this endorsement is an important step to earning the DFL nomination and winning the general election in 2010. “I am honored to receive the support of an organization so committed to political equality for women across Minnesota,” Kelliher said. “From city councils and county boards to the halls of Congress, the work of womenwinning has helped these offices to more fully reflect the faces of Minnesota.”

For 27 years womenwinning: Minnesota Women’s Campaign Fund has been giving its financial support to pro-choice women candidates from all parties and at all levels of government. Over the last quarter century, the percentage of women representing the citizens of Minnesota has increased from 8 percent to 28 percent of the total offices on the state level. During the same period of time the number of women elected to the US Congress has nearly quadrupled from 23 to 87. Since 1982, womenwinning: Minnesota Women’s Campaign Fund has directed nearly $2 million to pro-choice women candidates from all parties and all levels of office.

“The womenwinning committee was very impressed with Margaret’s commitment to the issues most important to Minnesotans during these difficult economic times. We believe Margaret to be the best candidate for the job and look forward to working with her campaign,” said womenwinning Board chair, Courtney Cushing Kiernat.

In this time of big challenges, Speaker Kelliher not only has the focus and leadership skills to move this state into prosperity, she has the capacity to bring people together to create a positive vision for all Minnesotans.

(Loeffler is my personal Rep, and wonderful…)

Next year we elect a new governor (it can’t come fast enough). I’ve had the privilege of working with many of the DFL gubernatorial candidates. We are lucky to have so many talented Democrats serving our state and its communities. Many of them are great idea people, some are inspiring speakers or are really fun to be around and they all contribute in impressive ways.

I started my career long ago working as a state policy and budget analyst and debated education options in the Governor’s office and with our state agency leaders. Throughout my career and in my elected service I’ve interacted with a variety of governors and learned a bit about what makes them successful, not just in getting elected, but in moving forward a strong vision.

Here’s what I’m looking for in selecting a Governor who will not only win but make a needed difference:

· Someone who’s demonstrated an ability to unite a variety of people behind tough goals and achieve them.

· An ability to bring a large group of people together across our diverse party and motivate them consistently and enthusiastically for political success. (It’s been over two decades since we’ve had a Democrat in the Gov’s office – time to be serious about the challenges of running and winning statewide).

· A demonstrated ability to get down and dirty on the state budget and stretch every dollar, cut where needed, and speak honestly that new revenue needs to be put on the table. We are predicted to again face a massive budget deficit – as much as 17-20% of our total General Fund. Resolving that will be job number one. While other times may allow for those new to state level challenges, this budget will be too daunting for that. The new Governor will have a very short time to assemble a biennial budget proposal due weeks after the swearing in. We need someone who will inspire Minnesotans with a cohesive plan that reflects democratic values for working together in tough times. Decisions made on the next budget will have long term implications for our future.

· An ability to not only develop new ideas on how to approach tough issues but who reaches out for and welcomes the ideas of others into shaping those ideas into practical programs.

· An ability to be “administrator in chief”. The Governor is the CEO of a $32 billion a year operation and must recruit and select people able to manage huge state agencies, oversee the performance of those agencies, set a tone that motivates the best from our employees, and manage any unexpected crisis that arises.

· A demonstrated compassion for the “little people” – the less powerful, the less sophisticated, and those challenged by illness or disability.

· A person whose heart is more imbedded in making a positive difference than achieving fame and fortune. (You have to be ambitious to win- this is a judgement call but an important one).

· A demonstrated ability to effectively work through and with others – an ability to not only lead but be an effective team member and who acknowledges that little happens by the action of one person alone.

· An ability to bridge the geographic divides. I’ve been disappointed at how often geographical regionalism has thwarted our progress on key issues confronting our state. I look for a person whose definition of “fairness” means no part of the state is ignored or overly favored.

While most of the candidates meet most of these tests, I’ve carefully weighed their attributes and one clearly stands out and has earned my endorsement – Speaker Margaret Anderson-Kelliher.

Her results and accomplishments are impressive – from orchestrating the historic override of the Governor’s transportation veto to growing the number of Democrats elected to the House. (While we lead now with 87 Democrats to 47 Republicans, it was just three years ago that Republicans were in charge of the House). We’ve adopted nation leading environmental and energy positions and models in health care reform that now are routinely cited as Congress and the President step up to this tough task.

Margaret’s commitment to education as a key component of our future success is unquestioned. I appreciate her leadership in moving early childhood education as a priority even in tough times. We were able to moderate the huge tuition increases in higher education. You know I cherish our libraries as resources for the many children who don’t have books or computers at home. Margaret was the chief author of the first increase in state library funding in twenty years.

Margaret’s style and personal attributes have been tested in the fire of tough times and tough negotiations and are the attributes that most impress me. It isn’t easy to keep 87 strong personalities working together. She’s proven she’s tough and effective in negotiations. Yet her leadership style is open and takes into account the ideas, needs and opinions of all. Margaret is ready to step up and engage Minnesotans behind a compelling vision and to manage their affairs so that progress is achieved.

I invite you to let me know if you agree (or disagree) at diane@dianeloeffler.com. Your insights and perspectives have always been appreciated. Thanks for being an active part of democracy in our area and join me in supporting Margaret by visiting www.margaretforgovernor.com.

Warm regards,

Diane

(This was everywhere as well, but the official press release follows.)

(Mankato, Minn) – Today, Minnesota Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher announced her campaign for Governor at her family farm near Mankato.

Highlighting her career in public service, Anderson Kelliher discussed her days growing up on a dairy farm and the challenges of the 80’s farm crisis.

“My family faced difficult times, but we were determined to face that crisis and succeed. Those difficult days shaped the person I am today.

“Minnesotans are hungry for a leader who not only understands our challenges but will work with them to solve the problems we face,” she said.

Anderson Kelliher was introduced by former Secretary of State Joan Growe who said, “I am supporting Margaret because I know no one will work harder for Minnesota. I want a governor who understands the problems we face, has ideas on how to correct them, has the vision for the future of our state, and the passion to get the job done.”

A graduate of Mankato West High School and Gustavus Adolphus College, Anderson Kelliher was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1998, and was elected Speaker by her colleagues after leading her caucus to the majority in the 2006 election.

As Speaker, she guided the passage of a nation-leading renewable energy standard. And when the safety of the state’s roads and bridges was at stake, she built a coalition of Democrats and Republicans, business leaders, farmers and environmentalists to override Governor Pawlenty’s veto of the transportation bill.

“In order to rebuild Minnesota, we need an economic plan that touches every corner of the state,” Anderson Kelliher said. “We cannot afford to have an opportunity gap in this state between rural and metropolitan Minnesota.”

Campaign Kickoff Video at www.margaretforgovernor.com.

Via MNProgressive Project, Grace Kelly interviews 10 people at this morning’s “Breakfast with Gary” Governors Candidates forum. Of the 10 people interviewed, 5 responded that Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher would be in their top 3 choices for Governor — more votes than any other candidate at the event.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher (5) Margaret is described as a compassionate, energetic, leader, and coalition builder. While her name doesn’t always show up first, she shows up on more lists. People like the rural background with the hope that she will appeal both out state and in the metro area. I personally liked that she stepped forward when she spoke, which helped because she is shorter. Stepping forward was also inviting to the audience.

After a few recent tweets from gubernatorial candidate Pat Anderson about her facebook group being shut down for too rapid of growth, I thought I’d check in on some of the governor-hopefuls facebook groups.

Republicans:
Tom Emmer, 689
Pat Anderson, 721
Marty Seifert, 764

And the always popular “draft” mission:
Draft Laura Brod for Governor, 297

Democrats:
Matt Entenza, 32 (fan page, not group or supporter page)
Mark Dayton, 68
Susan Gaertner, 343
John Marty, 693
Margaret Anderson Kelliher, 864

And in the Draft:

R.T. Rybak, 596

Obviously, we won’t be casting out ballots in our status updates. But organizing online is a great way to engage with your supporters and get them involved in the most basic steps of the campaign. And facebook is making it even easier for supporters to spread campaign info for their favorite candidates.

See a candidate you want to support? Join their groups, or, if they don’t have one, offer to start it for him or her!
Note: I did not use personal pages, only support pages, be they fan pages, group pages or draft pages. Steve Kelley has only a personal page, so he was not included. Chris Coleman has only his personal page and his St. Paul campaign page, so he also was excluded.

So much has happened so quickly. It’s digest time!

Tarryl Clark seems to be everywhere these days. She was at Netroots Nation visiting the online activists, and answered a few of their questions. She answered a few for Huffington Post, as well, including calling Presidential Wannabe and Former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin “Alaska’s Michele Bachmann.” Bachmann should be proud — I remember when folks around here used to call her “Minnesota’s Marylin Musgrave.”

Meanwhile, Margaret Anderson Kelliher has kept a fairly low profile since announcing her intention to announce. But Minnesota Brown managed to snag an interview before the candidate filed paperwork, and released it afterward.

Kelliher quickly stressed specific legislative accomplishments as speaker to justify her candidacy three years after ascending to the speaker’s chair with the DFL legislative landslide in 2006. Her top three included the 2020 renewable energy standard (signed by Gov. Pawlenty), the 2008 transportation bill (passed by overriding Gov. Pawlenty with the help of six Republican House members) and the advancement of the Legacy Amendment (the voter approved sales tax increase to fund outdoors and culture initiatives).

These three different accomplishments all involved bipartisanship, fervent negotiations and hard won victories, she said, examples of how she would approach the job of governor.

The entire interview is a very thoughtful, very personal look at the Speaker, and is a must read.

Meanwhile, women are making advances not just as candidates, but in leadership roles, as well. On Monday, the AFL-CIO elected Shar Knutson as the first woman president of the organization. The AFL-CIO is the state’s largest federation, and represents over 300,000 members across the state.

From “Who wants to be a Minnesota Governor,” the rundown of the female candidates:

Susan Gaertner

Home: White Bear Lake

Current position: Prosecutor

Experience: Ramsey County attorney since 1994 after 14 years in public and private law practice.

How does she break out of the pack? U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a former Hennepin County attorney, showed that a strong county prosecutor is electable statewide. Gaertner says she is the only candidate in the race with “executive experience running a multimillion-dollar, nonpartisan public office.”

Margaret Anderson Kelliher

Home: Minneapolis

Current position: Speaker of the House

Experience: A House member since 1998, she has held the top House office — the second-most-powerful post in state government — for the past three years.

How does she break out of the pack? She already has. As speaker, Kelliher has been the highest-profile Democrat in state government and may be the party’s best-known candidate. She has proved to be a calm, even-tempered leader who can work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, but she also is an effective advocate for mainstream DFL policies. She has gone toe-to-toe in negotiations with Pawlenty but stumbled a bit this year when he outmaneuvered DFLers and balanced the state budget on his own.

Pat Anderson

Home: Dellwood

Current position: President of the Minnesota Free Market Institute, a conservative think tank.

Experience: The former Eagan mayor and city council member was elected state auditor in 2002, a post she lost in the 2006 election. Pawlenty appointed her state employee relations commissioner in 2008, a job she eliminated by merging her agency with the Finance Department. She’s also a former business owner.

How does she break out of the pack? She’s the only woman in the Republican race, but that may change soon. Anderson says she has executive experience in both the public and private sectors that most of her legislator rivals lack. “I’ve downsized government twice,” she said, referring to merging one agency and trimming the auditor’s staff.

State Rep. Laura Brod, of New Prague, postponed her exploratory campaign for health reasons last month, but supporters predict she will return to the race soon. The lead Republican on the House Taxes Committee, she is an advocate for small businesses and downsizing state government. She’s the candidate some Democrats fear most.

Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau, of Lafayette, has said it’s unlikely she would run for governor, but she hasn’t ruled it out. She plans to decide this summer. Some Republicans are talking about her challenging U.S. Rep. Tim Walz in the 1st District.

Minnesota Independent:

An already packed gubernatorial field for Democrats just got bigger with the addition of a high-profile DFLer: House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher announced this afternoon that she’s filed to run for governor.

Minnpost:

The whole business of announcing a political candidacy has become more and more ritualistic. Take, for instance, the case of House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher.

For months, the Minneapolis DFLer has made it clear that she plans to get into the race for the DFL nomination for governor.

Today, she took another step toward “officially” getting into the race by posting a message on Twitter saying she is running. Kelliher’s campaign website reports she’s filed the paperwork to start her campaign. She also has sent a letter to supporters.

“Over the past few months I have traveled the state talking to Minnesotans just like you,” she writes. “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.”

But, of course, none of this means she’s absolutely/formally/officially in the race.

“In a few weeks I will formally announce my candidacy,’’ she wrote in the letter to supporters.

Won’t that be dramatic.

MNPublius:

The Entenza campaign has tried very hard to develop an air of inevitablity — that he is going to be the DFL candidate for Governor. MAK’s candidacy is a bowling ball off an overpass for the Entenza 18-wheeler and right now I’d have to speculate that she will be the DFL endorsed candidate for Governor.

(Note, the piece has been edited, but I’ve decided I enjoyed the original more, so I kept it.)

City Pages:

There is yet another high-profile Minnesota Democrat aiming for the governor’s seat. House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher announced her intentions and said she has filed the paperwork needed to run.

We hope all the Democrats don’t slaughter each other just trying to win the DFL endorsement. This could get messy. Too many egos in one pool.

MN Progressive Project:

MAK brings a lot to the campaign. Her rural roots and powerful position at the legislature make her quite formidable. She’s had significant successes and failures at the legislature, but the bottom line is she’s been a leader these last few years as the state legislature has done amazing things like override 2012 Presidential candidate and occasional MN Governor Tim Pawlenty’s veto.

Polinaut has audio from the Speaker.

Her appearance on Quick on the Uptake:

And of course, the inevitable Republican Party statement:

Democrats have put forth yet another big city liberal. The rest of Minnesota cannot afford Margaret Anderson Kelliher’s ‘leadership.’ Whether she’s hiking gas taxes, the metro wide sales tax or income taxes, Kelliher is a dependable pro tax vote. Given her failed leadership as speaker and complete inability to pass a credible budget bill, Kelliher is the last Minnesotan who deserves a promotion.