Gubernatorial Hits
Lots of movement in the DFL gubernatorial race over the past couple of days.
Lourey's pick of ex-Viking Tim Baylor: This seems like a good pick, though it's nothing extraordinary. By picking a metro-area male moderate, Lourey has followed the established rule of picking her exact opposite as her running mate. That said, I'm impressed by the choice. It has garnered a fair amount of media attention, and people seem to be intrigued by the fact that Baylor is indeed a former Vikings player. That Baylor is African-American may help her in Rochester and in the primary, adding to the shrewdness of the pick. His decidedly unimpressive political credentials shouldn't be too much of a downside; Lourey makes up for it with her experience, and it's unlikely that his lack of a substantive political past will matter much. To make up for his short political résumé, he does have a solid business career. Overall, the choice of Baylor as a running mate will probably not matter much, but insofar as it does it will probably be a plus.
Kelley's pick of Rep. Ruth Johnson (St. Peter): This is also a good pick, and Kelley has also followed the opposite rule. Johnson has lots of experience in the House as well as previous experience as an LG candidate with Mike Freeman in 1998. While Johnson will be a good candidate, she may not be able to help where Kelley needs it the most; she will probably not move things around much for Kelley at the convention, as she comes from an area without unusual political clout and does not wield unusual influence herself. Even so, Johnson is respected and her campaign experience will be helpful.
Hatch's pick of ?: As MNCR says, it's an important question whether Hatch will announce an LG candidate before the DFL convention next Friday. If he does, look for the pick to be a moderate, outstate woman. Hatch hasn't seemed to be particularly interested in winning the endorsement, but he may not think he has to show interest to do. Assuming he doesn't drop out. What's the deal, Mike?
Gov. Pawlenty's re-election announcement: Nothing much to see here. Tim's running for re-election, with Carol Molnau. Will he serve a full term, if re-elected? He says yes, but we have no reason to trust him. More than likely, he will do everything he possibly can to secure the VP nomination in 2008. His ambitions are well-known, and he has a record of breaking campaign pledges. This should be a campaign issue for the eventual DFL nominee.
Technorati Tags: MN-Gov Becky Lourey Tim Baylor Steve Kelley Ruth Johnson Mike Hatch
Lourey's pick of ex-Viking Tim Baylor: This seems like a good pick, though it's nothing extraordinary. By picking a metro-area male moderate, Lourey has followed the established rule of picking her exact opposite as her running mate. That said, I'm impressed by the choice. It has garnered a fair amount of media attention, and people seem to be intrigued by the fact that Baylor is indeed a former Vikings player. That Baylor is African-American may help her in Rochester and in the primary, adding to the shrewdness of the pick. His decidedly unimpressive political credentials shouldn't be too much of a downside; Lourey makes up for it with her experience, and it's unlikely that his lack of a substantive political past will matter much. To make up for his short political résumé, he does have a solid business career. Overall, the choice of Baylor as a running mate will probably not matter much, but insofar as it does it will probably be a plus.
Kelley's pick of Rep. Ruth Johnson (St. Peter): This is also a good pick, and Kelley has also followed the opposite rule. Johnson has lots of experience in the House as well as previous experience as an LG candidate with Mike Freeman in 1998. While Johnson will be a good candidate, she may not be able to help where Kelley needs it the most; she will probably not move things around much for Kelley at the convention, as she comes from an area without unusual political clout and does not wield unusual influence herself. Even so, Johnson is respected and her campaign experience will be helpful.
Hatch's pick of ?: As MNCR says, it's an important question whether Hatch will announce an LG candidate before the DFL convention next Friday. If he does, look for the pick to be a moderate, outstate woman. Hatch hasn't seemed to be particularly interested in winning the endorsement, but he may not think he has to show interest to do. Assuming he doesn't drop out. What's the deal, Mike?
Gov. Pawlenty's re-election announcement: Nothing much to see here. Tim's running for re-election, with Carol Molnau. Will he serve a full term, if re-elected? He says yes, but we have no reason to trust him. More than likely, he will do everything he possibly can to secure the VP nomination in 2008. His ambitions are well-known, and he has a record of breaking campaign pledges. This should be a campaign issue for the eventual DFL nominee.
Technorati Tags: MN-Gov Becky Lourey Tim Baylor Steve Kelley Ruth Johnson Mike Hatch
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