Gubernatorial candidate Margaret Anderson Kelliher received her third union endorsement last week, this time from the Greater MN AFSCME Council 65. She then capped off last week by winning the DFL side of the gubernatorial straw poll at the Minnesota Farmer’s Union’s yearly meeting.

MnpACT has an interview with Dr. Maureen Hackett, DFL Candidate in CD 3. Among the standard questions, they delve into the controversy surrounding her previous donations to non-DFL candidates. Hackett addresses the scandal, stating, “I’m a Democrat and have overwhelmingly given to Democrats and Democratic causes, both locally, other state races, and nationally. On some occasions I have given to promote ideas. I have also given money to have access to events.”

Smart Politics takes note of the percentage of female donors contributing to the two women vying for the DFL endorsement in the 6th CD congressional race, with both State Senator Tarryl Clark and former IP Lt. Gov. candidate Maureen Reed receiving almost 50% of their campaign contributions from women.

And, speaking of Smart Politics, a post I have been meaning to link to for weeks now, “When Will Minnesota (or Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota…) Elect a Woman as Governor?” The summary? In Minnesota and/or Wisconsin, 2010 may finally be the year.

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.

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.

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.