Life After TPaw & Norm – Update
The local news outlets are fluttering about Gov. Tim Pawlenty announcing his decision not to run for reelection. There are numerous ‘confirmed’ stories out there. The news conference is at 2PM.
So where does this leave the MNGOP?
Ron Carey and the party establishment have spent the last 2 election cycles making it all about Tim & Norm. Now if it is true and Pawlenty is hanging it up, the MNGOP is behind the 8 ball. Ron Carey has devoted the party to Pawlenty. And in turn Norm Coleman who’s career is hanging in the balance of the Supreme Court. I have often said the party cannot be based on an individual, we may see the reason why i believe that play out.
Ridden hard and put away wet.
Maybe Pawlenty is taking advice from the MN media pundits and scholastic pontificators who have been saying his decision to unallott the State out of the budget disaster is suicide, which based on pawlenty track record of listening to tone deaf advisors, some gravity. But I think that was the winning side to take, the only problem is Pawlenty helped create the mess since he is a Big Government Republican.
In the end Pawlenty was a good Governor. He was fair and did not get partisan. He did some good and some bad. No one is perfect and the only person who can represent you 100% of the time is yourself.
Who the odds on favorite is to try to keep the seat in GOP hands is unknown. It is just too early. And frankly I am surprised Pawlenty is making the decision so early. I’m glad it isn’t next January like he’d previously planned, but the announcement during his unallotting seems poorly timed. I mean we do still have another session to get through too.
We all know Tim Pawlenty wants to be President. If his tenure of CEO of Minnesota is going to be up to snuff, time will tell. But he is going to be able to leave holding his head high. He did it his way.
Now back to the Republican Party of Minnesota: Is this going to open the door for some real reform minded people (IE: NOT!!!! Sutton & Brodkorb) to take over the reigns?
And more important than that, who would you like to see run? I am going to work up a poll, please leave your suggestions in the comments or email to aaa@andyaplikowski.com
Here’s the poll. We’ll run this for a while and change as needed. I have included people who are reportedly interested or have been before.
Update
I just got a phone call from Senator Hann. He wanted to let me know he is considering it.
I will also point out that my initial selection was just thrown out there. Some of the names were just ones that came to mind from past interest or some of today’s stories. So here the names so far of who is considering or has considered it in the past.
- Carol Molnau – As Lt. Gov. I threw her in, but who knows.
- Congresswoman Michele Bachmann – Her office is saying she is happy where she is, but some supporters would love to see her as governor
- Rep. Paul Kohls – media
- Sen. Geoff Michel – media
- Rep. Marty Seifert – Past interest from people who know him
- Rep. Tom Emmer - Past interest from people who know him
- Sen. Norm Coleman – Just threw it in there
- Phil Krinkie - Past interest from people who know him
- Charlie Weaver – media
- Sen. David Hann – Called me himself
- Rep. Laura Brod – media
- Pat Anderson – Media
- Brian Sullivan – Past candidate & Huge Tony Sutton supporter btw (nod nod, wink, wink)
- Steve Svviggum – Media
Any others out there?
So what’s this “nod nod wink wink” stuff, eh? Do you mean you wouldn’t support Brian Sullivan if he ran? Doesn’t that put you at odds with at least half of the MNGOP?
Anyone who is committed to a candidate (endorsed or anything) is insane and should have their head examined. We are a full year away from the endorsement. 1 year before one single vote will take place. Over a bleeping year away from this, and we don’t even have any idea of who all is running. Again, anyone who is making up their mind RIGHT NOW!! is insane.
What I was referring to is that Sullivan is working very VERY VERY!!!! hard to defend Sutton’s last 4 years and get him elected as Party Chair. A little too much for a guy who doesn’t need something back in my mind. Very ungrassroots, and much more like telling us what to do.
Much like Pawlenty and Coleman worked VERY!!! hard for Carey in 07.
Hmmmmmm. Just saying. I think your boy Sutton is going to be a puppet just like Carey. The State Convention will not be allowed to decide the endorsement, we’d be allowed to rubberstamp the decision made…….
That’s what I am getting at. That Sutton would be just like Carey. that the establishment and powerbrokers of the party will use the purse strings to get what they want from Sutton and I don’t think he has the backbone to stand up to them.
Just so we are clear, anybody that disagrees with you is not only wrong, but completely benighted? Is it not just possible that Mr. Sullivan, from his position and long observation, sees some potential in Mr. Sutton that you do not?
You’re criticizing the current Party leadership for seeing to it that Pawlenty won the governorship? Tactics aside, and 20/20 hindsight now available, isn’t that one of the best decisions the Party leadership ever made?
OMG it is like you just started reading my blog. Good grief.
The day after the surprise announcement by Pawlenty, a guy most cons in MN were still building shrines to yesterday when they woke up, is WAY too early for anyone to have decided who they will support. Anyone who thinks they have found the perfect replacement already is …. yes …. an idiot. Blunt, but true. We don’t even have a glimmer of who all is running and any settling on day 1 is stupid.
Sullivan, if looking to make that multi million “investment” he put into his last run pay off would be well suited to have Sutton in the captain’s chair. Sutton is not the grassroots guy he is protraying now, but was rather the guy booing Pawlenty’s 06 challenger and has had his share of finger prints on dictatorship convention rules where the outcome was preordained. And let’s not forget that Sutton, if my memory serves, was a Sullivan guy back in 02.( I will shoot an email off to Mr. Sutton to confirm. ) I’m just saying, it serves Sullivan to have a supporter in the position.
How do you think things would have panned out in the last 2 budgets if all the party focused on was more then just Pawlenty. As in what if we wouldn’t have thrown the towel in on MN SEnate and House seats we ended up losing? As in, what if we didn’t give the DFL veto proof majorities, or damn near? Am I glad Pawlenty beat the DFLer? I have never said I wasn’t. I am glad he did, but just imagine if the party, which is not supposed to be teh Pawlenty campaign alone, would have bothered to convey a positive message and built a machine that the local legislative candidates could have benefitted from, instead of being stuck defending the top of the ticket, be it Coleman, Pawlenty, or McCain.
If all the state party can manage to do is help the top of the ticket candidate, then that should be the message from Sutton. But it isn’t, he is talking about grassroots, even though the last 4 years, where he was a powerful member of party leadership, the grassroots and local candidates have been thrown under the bus.
Which brings us back to Sullivan’s major push for Sutton from day 1. And not just Sullivan, the same power brokers and money bags who pull the striongs of the party are also on board Team Sutton or else…..
(I apologize for spelling, i had an eye exam tonight and can barely read right now. )
Who is Pat Anderson? A Republican? A Libertarian? Whatever works?
It is also unclear what her true political principles really are or if she even has any, as illustrated in the article “The Real Pat Awada” that is enclosed below. As State Auditor she was endorsed by the Libertarian Party, but chose to run as a Republican in order to get elected. It is also clear that she has left-leaning tendencies, which the DFL controlled legislature is sure to love. She has a history of campaigning against elected Republican office holders and, as mayor of Eagan, she proved herself to be a tax and spend liberal. She supports the development of alternative “green” energy, a position that all of us who are environmentally conscious can agree with; however, she is fervently against oil drilling and the development of our natural resources as part of a comprehensive energy solution. To Pat Anderson, solar and wind energy are the only two options in existence. She also bragged about supporting a pro-abortion candidate, Ross Perot, instead of President George HW Bush. Is this a trustworthy person to put forward as the GOP candidate for Governor? Someone who openly backed an independent candidate as recently as 1992, bucked the voters in Eagan with “community amenities” and vehemently opposed drilling in ANWAR?
Minnesota Republicans deserve a true leader and a real conservative as our next governor. We deserve State Representative Paul Kohls, a true conservative!
See “The Real Pat Awada”: http://www.secretsofthecity.com/magazine/reporting/features/real-pat-awada